Douluo Dalu: A Relived Fate
by Xovercreator
Summary: A OC Douluo Dalu Story The Fate God is sent back in time in order to prevent a great disaster from happening, and has be returned to being a mortal. How will the now-human god deal with the past, in order to find a way in order to change fate, his own creation, to save everyone he cares for? T for language and suggested themes.
1. Prologue

Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): A Relived Fate  
Prologue: From a Time That Passed

There was a gentle silence, as there was only the sound of wind from a place that is lost in time.

For this place was a tunnel, filled with blue space, and various items of the eras, ranging from a old bronze shield, to a modern book, to a broken marble pilliar. And there was a humanoid being who was within the area, as they was being pulled across it, as they were on their back.

The being was barely recognisable, being in the form of a mere human-shaped blue wisp, and having only two white soulless circles where its eyes are, although the face and body remained the same.

The ghost-like entity seemed to look like as if it was close to falling unconscious, as its eyes were fluttering gently, and there was no movement from it. But the being was not silent, as there were many thoughts racing through its mind. But one in particular rang through its head like a loud bell clanging against itself.

'Why…. Tang San…. Xiao Wu…. Why did you have to leave me?'

The being only slowly kept its eyes shut, as it recalled the events that led up to now, although all he could muster were voices.

 _'Wuling….' A feminine soft voice rang out, filled with sorrow and fear._

 _'Quick, use all of your power to keep the border together! This is the dynamic shift of the power of space!' A deep, yet young voice rang out._

 _'My son…..' The same feminine voice rang out._

 _'This isn't good…. We don't have long before this realm collapses entirely!' His voice from the past said._

 _'I guess this is it, huh….?' A friendly, and quiet male voice said._

 _'Goddamnit… Even after all of that, we still are going to end up disappearing to somewhere.. Maybe even die….' His past voice spoke again. 'Unless…. Wait, Time God, is it possible for you to create a portal back in time?'_

 _'I can, but considering current matters, I cannot be sure what may happen. Fate God. But I have trust that I can succeed.'_

 _'Then how about a few days before? What is the current status of the fabric of time?'_

 _'It's fine, despite what is happening to the fabric of space. Consider ourselves lucky.'_

 _'Lucky…? Hahaha…. No, this is EXCELLENT! That means that there is a chance to undo this. I can go back and stop this from happening! That means no more God Realm imploding on itself, and possibly killing us, and no more Destruction God going insane just because he's paranoid!' The Fate God chuckled_

 _'….It won't matter.' A deep gruff voice said. 'Even if you went back to the past, you won't be able to persuade me. I will still-'_

 _'NO! I won't give up! Even if you were the voice who screwed this all up, I can still salvage this situation, Destruction God!' The Fate God's voice said in a determined tone. 'We can still fix all of this. Damn the Dragon God, we can go back and make sure that this never happens again!'_

 _'Fate God, what nonsense are you spouting!?' The Time God's voice rebuked him. 'Do you know what you're saying!? Who knows what changing this might cause!? It could lead to something worse that we haven't thought of, or it could lead to this happening earlier-'_

 _'BUT WE HAVE NO CHOICE! LOOK AROUND YOU, TIME GOD! THERE WILL BE NO 'KNOWING' IF WE DON'T ACT NOW!' The Fate God roared. 'WE COULD ALL ACTUALLY DIE FOR THE LAST TIME FOR ALL WE 'KNOW'! I WON'T LET US ALL JUST DIE BECAUSE SOME SPACIAL PARADOX CAME AND WIPED US FROM THE CELSTIAL MAP! NO! I WON'T LET YOU ALL DIE, EVEN IF IT MEANS I HAVE TO DIE MYSELF IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE OF THAT!'_

 _'…Alright. I'll open it up, with all the power I got. I had a feeling that we're going to die anyway, so I may as well give it one last effort to save ourselves. However, I can only transfer three people at most, not to mention erasing the past selves to accommodate the new arrivals…. No more, otherwise the time portal will collapse and erase everyone in it from every era completely. '_

 _'Bless you, Time God… And I'm sorry that you're going to end up here, while I and someone else goes.'_

 _'It doesn't matter. If there really is a chance to stop all of this, then I'm willing to bet it on you, friend.'_

 _There is a loud rumbling, as it elicits various responses from different voices, so many that the Fate God couldn't distinguish which person said what._

 _'Oh Gods, the border is about to collapse… Think, Fate God, think….' The Fate God mumbled in a panicked tone. 'There has to be someone that can help us…. Goodness Goddess and Evilness God? No, the two of them won't be able to do anything….. War God and Speed Goddess? These two might be able to help me fight off Destruction God, but it won't matter if he destroys the realm's Spirit core, making it once again a zero-sum game…. Life Goddess and Destruction God….? No, Destruction God might end up repeating all of this, and maybe this time, the Dragon God might not be so loose in influencing him, by wiping his memories and controlling him directly. Tang San and Xiao Wu….? Yes! These two will work! Not only they know how to re-persuade Destruction God, while keeping Dragon God out of the loop, they can also ensure that Destruction God will be pacified long enough for the danger to pass, if the former doesn't work!'_

 _There is the sound of footsteps._

 _'Tang San! Xiao Wu! The Time God got us a way to prevent all of this! We can get back to the past and ensure the Destruction God won't cause this again!' The Fate God said._

 _'What!?" The voices of the first two people to speak responded simultaneously._

 _'I'm not joking, we actually got a chance! We're saved, I tell you, saved!'_

 _'Fate God, surely you can't be possibly abandoning the other gods, right?" Tang San replied. 'I will not stand for this.'_

 _'But you don't understand, Tang San and Xiao Wu! It hurts me more than it will for either of you, but it's a better solution than dying here! We don't have to let ourselves do a futile struggle, we can save the others by changing the past! Please!' The Fate God pleaded to the godly couple. 'For the sake of everyone, lend me your hands just this once to save us all!'_

 _There was only silence, before Xiao Wu spoke up._

 _'If it'll ensure that we can live to care for Wuling, then I will at least try.' She said gracefully._

 _'Thank you, oh gods, we can do this, I know it!'_

 _There is another set of footsteps._

 _'You first, Tang San, and Xiao Wu.' The Fate God said joyfully. 'Thank you for trusting me. I promise that we'll succeed. If we don't, then I'll accept destruction and death the next time this thing comes around, alright?'_

 _'I see. Then we'll leave. But just before I say one thing, before we separate.'_

 _'Yes? Anything for the ones who saved me from the greatest depths of despair.' The Fate God said. 'It's all thanks to you that I was able to regain my mind and spirit, and become the First-Rank God I used to be, as well being a candidate for the Supreme God Council. So, I'll say mines first. I will always be your friend, even if I can only vaguely remember you. And the memories I had with the others will remain forever That's all I have to say.'_

 _'Well, you don't have to be that thankful of us. We just did what's right.' Xiao Wu giggled._

 _'Then it's my turn to speak.' Tang San said, before he then paused for a moment, and then spoke in a sorrowful tone. 'I'm sorry. For what will happen next.'_

 _'Eh? Tang San, what do you mean by-' The Fate God tried to say, before there was a loud 'pomf', as he began to gag, and fell on his knees, indicated by the soft pat of them falling to the ground. 'What… What… are you… doing!?'_

 _'I'm sorry, Liu Shun, but this is where we part ways forever.' Tang San spoke, still sad._

 _'Wait… Xiao Yu… What are you….'_

 _'Tell Wuling that we'll always love him.' Xiao Wu said in a caring tone. 'And on my part, you really were a real shining star, Liu Shun. Always thinking the best for everyone, because we taught you that several thousand years ago.'_

 _'Wuling….? Don't… tell me….?'_

 _'Time God, can you change the destination of the portal, to the future, where Wuling is, right at the youngest you can send him?' Tang San asked his fellow colleague._

 _'….Let me check…. Yes, I can, but it's a jump off about 100 years, and the time-fabric is finally beginning to deteriorate. Maybe that tremor back then, caused the time-fabric to begin to collapse. If you want to go, hurry.' The Time God answered. 'I cannot guarantee that I'll succeed.'_

 _'Then just send Liu Shun. He should be sufficient to nurture Wuling, in our absence.'_

 _'Tang… San… Xiao… Wu… No…. Don't go….' The Fate God spoke, as he tried to prevent himself from sobbing. 'Wuling… doesn't want you to die…. Think… about him…'_

 _'Sorry, but you know how stubborn we are about these things…' Tang San spoke in a apologetic tone._

 _'…We're just too hard-headed to think about anything else!' Xiao Wu finished off, with a small giggle at the end._

 _'No….. No… NO! DON'T GO… PLEASE! NO! ANYTHING BUT THIS!' The Fate God shouted with anguish and emotional pain._

 _'Sorry, Liu Shun, but like I said. This is goodbye.' Tang San said._

 _There was the sound of the Fate God being thrown into the portal._

The Fate God kept floating in the timeless void, as a single ethereal tear appeared on his cheek.

'Fate... really is cruel. And I was the one to suffer for its pain….' He spoke silently to himself.

Suddenly the area began to tremble, as the wispy Fate God only paled.

'No… Not now… Please don't break! For the love of all of Douluos, don't break now! I can't fail now, not with everyone now gone!' The Fate God roared.

Suddenly the tunnel rumbled with such force, that the Fate God was suddenly shaken away from his path, as he suddenly falls from where he was floating, and down the blue space, as it began to grow darker and darker as he fell through the time tunnel.

'No…. No…. NOOOOO!' The Fate God cried out in utter despair, as he watched the tunnel leave his vision, further and further, until it was a hair-thin line of blue light in front of it.

He then looked around, and cried again.

'I guess… This is the end for me…. I'm going to die, forgotten and alone. And everyone is dead. At least I'll join them in whatever dead void they may be….' The Fate God thought.

And just after his last thoughts, he thought no more, and fell into a dark slumber.

* * *

When the Fate God came back to being conscious, something he did not expect, he opened his eyes, and found that he was lying in a dark forest, as there was the sound of various beasts and animals ringing across the dark area.

He soon sat up, and looked around.

"Where..." The Fate God said... "Where am I?"

 **DOULUO DALU: A RELIVED FATE**

* * *

 _A/N: Heya, everyone, Xovercreator here again. This time, I have created a new story, that has popped into my mind. Be wary though, only people who REALLY love manga and manhua, or are good Chinese readers will know the fandom this is set in. This is... Douluo Dalu, or known in English dub circles, Soul Land._

 _Basically, the summary of this story is more of a OC-insert in the canon storyline, except be expecting some events to change, whether they are minor or major. As hinted from the passage, the OC's quite a strong god, but does it remain that way? That's for you to find out._

 _The Prologue flashback is set within the second-last chapter of the third Douluo Dalu light novel, Douluo Dalu: Legend of the Divine Realm. To summarise it, it basically has every single god in the God Realm, plus MCs Tang San and Xiao Yun, trying to stop the realm from collapsing from a temporal paradox that resulted from a series of event that are preceded in the novel, and will not explained due to me being a little too lazy to write down everything that happened before the chapter, and them failing, as they end up being either erased from existence with the realm, or the paradox seperating the realm from the known reality, making their locations unknown._

 _The story will span through the arcs of Douluo Dalu and Douluo Dalu II and finally, Douluo Dalu 2.5: Legend of the Divine Realm, with reasonable changes from the extra person in the story. Be expecting a lot of dialogue and battle, because you're going to get lots and lots due to the nature of the original story._

 _Anyway, I will be awaiting for any criticisms and reviews that may come, and I welcome them all, even the ones that make me sound like a idiot._

 _See you all in the next chapter!_

 _Xovercreator._


	2. Chapter 1

Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): To Relive Fate  
Chapter 1: A Reunion at the Holy Spirit Village.

When the Fate God came back to being conscious, something he did not expect, he opened his eyes, and found that he was lying in a dark forest, as there was the sound of various beasts and animals ringing across the dark area.

He soon sat up, and looked around.

"Where..." The Fate God said... "Where am I?"

The Fate God then sat up, as he looked around, but only could find rows and rows of trees, and the grass around him, as well as a large water puddle by his feet. He then scratched his head.

"That's strange…. I swore that I felt so different when I got up…. It's as if I became smaller…. Or something…." The god spoke to himself, before rubbing his head gently, and then realising something when he felt how small and round his head was. "Wha…!?"

The Fate God then got to his feet, and then bent to take a closer look at the water puddle, which seemed to have a leaf floating in it, and the water was clear, allowing him to take a look at his reflection

What he saw in the puddle, was himself, except he was very young, around about the age of 6 years old, as his face looked very cute and handsome, and his hair was black, with the front side of his head stroked to the right, forming three small feather-like spikes of hair pointing to his right side, as they are pushing against each other and sagging a little. He was wearing a white tunic with a blue plump collar, and blue round and short sleeves that had a silver edge on the ends of them, and he was wearing black shorts that were slightly creased, and he didn't have anything to protect his feet.

As the Fate God stared at his reflection, he soon clutched his head in fear.

"OH GREAT GODS! I'VE TURNED INTO A CHILD!" The god wailed miserably.

The Fate God then sat back down, as he was pushing his small fingers against his fore-head.

"Alright, Fate God, don't panic yet. Maybe you're just small, and you still have everything that you had back then. Let's start with the god domain that I cultivated.' The Fate God muttered to himself.

The young boy/god stood back up, as he stretched his arms out.

"Activate, Domain of Fate!" He declared boldly.

However, nothing happened, as he stood there in the same awkward pose.

"No? Then how about…. Fate Detection!" The boy said, as he then looked around with his hand over his eyes, like he was searching for something.

He then looked around, but sensed nothing, as he then plopped back down on his bottom.

"Argh… So I really have become a mortal child again?" The Fate God moaned, as he tried not to cry. "This sucks... I bet even every single ounce of my powers are gone…. Now how am I supposed to recover, and stop the God Realm from collapsing again…."

He then noticed that there was a quiet thud, which caused him to be startled, as he jumped slightly to the right, before he then came closer to the source of the sound, which was a large green shrub, as he parted it.

What laid on the ground, was a white sword, with a crystalline blade, that looked so short and small it could be mistaken as a toy knife, and on the hilt, there was a few round indentations, as if they served to socket something.

"Ah! It's the Great Blade of Elements! Back when I was a god, I swung that blessed thing like it was my partner in battle, and it's one of the three reasons why I'm a first-grade god! It seems the sword, since it was bound to me by soul, it returned to me!" The black-haired youngster said, as he grabbed it, and raised it over his head with both hands "Hurray! Now I can actually be able to fight properly!"

He then placed it in front of him, as he looked at it.

"But it looks like that it has suffered the same condition that happened to it. I guess maybe the blade devolved itself, so that it could be usable by poor little, weak me…." He muttered sadly, as he stroked the edge of the blade against his palm. "Don't worry…. I'll train hard, so that you'll be back to normal. And then we'll truly be the strongest spirit tool and god duo in this entire realm…."

He then moved over to a large tree, as he raised the spirit-weapon with his right hand.

"Now, let's see if I can still swing this thing…"

He then swung diagonally down with all of his might, into the bark of the tree, only to feel that the tree did not resist the blade, and his arm, as the knife cut through the tree, as the top half of the tree slide down, before then landing on another tree with a loud thunk, as the former god is completely shocked, as he looks at the knife-sword.

"What the…" The god said, before he then began to laugh. "Maybe not all of my powers are gone….. If my arm was strong enough to keep the knife straight enough to cut through the hard wood. Then what about my speed?"

He then leaned down, as he shifted himself into a runner's starting position, pointed at a clearing in the area, with a relatively clear path under it.

The boy dashed off quite fast, as he was faster than a charging boar.

"Oh YES! This is brilliant!" The Fate God spoke, as he sprinted through the forest. "With this kind of power, I will be able to fight well enough to survive against the lowest tier of spirit beasts, and still be fine after a few battles with them! Not only that, it seems I have enough power to properly train myself to my limits! I'm fit as a human in peak years and just as strong! Re-godhood, here I come!"

He then heard a loud rumble, before there was a series of roars, with each one of them being much louder and closer than the last, as he paled.

"Oh, Gods…. Please don't let it be a strong Spirit Beast…. Please don't let it be a strong Spirit Beast." The sprinting boy whispered in fear.

The boy's fears were confirmed, when a large black and white-striped tiger, with black claws that looked like they were made of stone, and its head had a stone-like armour around its neck and on the edges of its head, as it chased after the mortal god, with its mouth open.

"Nope, nope, nope! I ain't fighting that Armoured Stone Tiger! Not now, not ever at this kind of levl of strength! NO WAY!" The god cried out, as he then pushed himself further, as he sped up, trying to escape the threat behind him.

However, the Armoured Stone Tiger roared again, sounding like it was enraged that its prey was running away, before also speeding up, as the god looked behind him, and regret it, letting out a squeaky 'eep!'

"Why! Why, oh why, does fate have to aim to try torturing me at every opportunity that it has!?" He pleaded. "I'm the God of Fate for Douluo's sake! Aren't I supposed to be given a break from these things for once!?"

As if to answer his words, the path in front of him, began to show a clearing that led out of the forest.

"Freedom! Just a little further now…." The boy cried out in joy.

The Armoured Stone Tiger was getting very close to the mortal god, before then pulling back a paw to swipe at him, and stop him from escaping. However, the god was barely lucky enough, as he managed to get out of the clearing.

"I'M FREE! IN YOUR FACE, YOU ACCURSED-"The god whooped, before he then looked down, as he felt like he was running on air, before he saw that he was on top of a tilted mound, which was several metres below him.

He then looked up, and uttered "Shit.", before then screaming, as he plummeted down from the gravity catching up to him, as the Armoured Stone Tiger, having lost its prey, angrily slinked back into the forest, its tail swaying in an agitated manner.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! WHHHHHHHYYYYY!?"

The young Fate God then landed on the mound, and was sent into a fast spin, as he let out moans of dizziness and pain, before he then landed on the bottom of the mound, as he face-planted into the ground, and skidded through it, leaving behind a trail of upturned soil, before slowing down to a halt, and his legs plopped back down.

"Oooowww…. I feel like I broke a bone or two on the fall..." The god groaned in pain, before he then got up, spitting out some grass and dirt, and wiping his face clean as he can, although some of the brown soil still clung to his face. "Nope, I'm fine…. Glad I'm actually as tough as a strong man as well."

He then looked up, before he was met with the sight of a small village, with small hut-like houses, and a bunch of people who were dressed in villager clothings.

"Well, I guess this is a nice village. I might be able to find a place to stay there." The Fate God muttered to himself, before he then saw a wooden gate, with a sign on it, before reading it.

"Holy Spirit Village…. Wait, Holy Spirit Village!?" The boy said to himself. "That's Tang San's birthplace for his first reincarnation! And the world's not so restless. I have a feeling I know when I landed, but I need to make sure…."

He then enters through the gate, before then grabbing the hand of a middle-aged woman, who was holding a large log of timber on her shoulder, with overalls to indicate she's a worker.

"Uh, Missy? Do you know where Tang San is?" The god spoke in the most realistic innocent child's voice he could make. "I heard that he's really lonely…."

"Oh, you mean that drunkard's, Tang Hao, son?" The middle-aged female worker replied with a smile, before pointing at a house at the far end of the avenue. "He lives over there. And I heard he's really hard-working, trying to become the strongest Douluo there is. He's around your age, so it's nice that you're looking to make friends here."

The woman patted the god's head softly. "Anyway, I have to go, but you're really cute, you know that, little one?" She said. "Bye bye~!"

She then walked away, as the Fate God's expression brightened up a lot, as he let out a cheer.

"So, this is not only the past, but also the moment when Tang San is beginning his journey!" The boy spoke with optimism in his voice, which has returned back to his regular voice at his age. "This is brilliant! Not only will I be able to have more time to plan how to prevent all of this, but I can help Tang San live a better life than before, and become one of the most trusted friends of Shrek's 7 Devils! Not only that, I will really get to know Tang San, not as my pseudo-colleague Sea God, but as the little boy that he was. Oh, how I dream to stand side by side with him as a friend and loyal ally….."

The Fate God fell into a swooned state, before he then shook his head.

"What am I saying!? I can't be too engaged in all of that! I'm a god after all, my priorities should be helping Tang San, and being his friend. I can't just simply swoon over such things, as if I was going to make Tang San my lover. No, that honour should go to Xiao Wu, for their cohesion in marriage and couples. Hell, the Companionship God would nag me to no end if I screw up that relationship! San X Wu ship must go on!"

The boy then dashed off to Tang San's house, as there were two male villagers, who were about to end up in a fight, looking strangely at him, as if he was being very weird.

The Fate God soon arrived at the door of Tang San's residence, which was a large wooden house, with a pinned sign, that had the tell-tale symbol of a blacksmith's anvil and hammer. He then moved slowly to the door, and gently knocked on the door.

"Hello? Anyone home?" He asked as politely as he could.

There was no response, other than some snoring as the Fate God sweatdropped.

' _I guess Tang Wu's still drunk from trying to cope with his wife's death…. I pity the poor fool, but I need him now!_ ' The boy thought.

Before he could knock again, he saw an elderly man, who was dressed in a tight black robe, and had a drooping elf hat with a white fur-ball on the tip of the hat, as he moved over to the door, and knocked it.

"Tang! You there?" The elderly man spoke loudly, knocking harder than the god did, as the latter turned to him.

"Elder, I have already knocked at the door, there is no response…." The mortal god replied.

"Oh, and who are you, little one?" The elder asked, with a slightly tilted head. "And why are you here?"

"I'm…. I'm someone who wants to talk to his son." The boy replied, hesitating a little. "I just want to be friends with-"

"Mr Elder, you're here!" A childish and young male voice, not from the Fate God, spoke.

The Fate God turned around, before he then gasped at who he saw was talking.

Before the god and the village elder, was Tang San, in his early years, having a large bundle of neatly stacked and tied twigs on his back. He had a blue and yellow striped shirt, with fluffy blue thin collars and sleeves, as well having black shorts. He seems to look jolly, and happy, as he addressed the elder politely.

"Oh Tang San, where is your father?" The elder asked him.

"Father is sleeping. Come inside!" Tang San replied.

Meanwhile, the Fate God was trembling, as he was on the verge of tears, as he covered his mouth.

' _Tang San… It's really you…_ ' The god thought silently.

Soon enough, Tang San pushed the door open, as the room was completely dark, with the only light being through the doors.

On the large table in the room, there was a figure with black hair, and a large beard, in a black tunic and long jeans, and a white sash around his waist, lying on the table, with one hand over his face, and another sagging below, holding a bottle of alcohol, as his mouth was drooling.

"Ah… So bright… Why are the lights on again?" The man said, as he then threw the bottle with some might, causing it to bounce once, before smashing beside the elder and Tang San. "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't waste the oil! Is breakfast ready?"

The Fate God then snapped out of his train of thought, as he rushed beside the elder, just as he saw the elder's face began to grow a tick, as well turn red.

"PIG! YOU'VE TURNED FROM TRASH TO A MONSTER!" The elder roared with rage, as it caused the figure to drop off the table, and slam his head on the bench, letting out a dull 'Ouch', before he got up, and then yawned.

"Old man, you are way too loud…." The man spoke.

"Tang Wu, Tang San is 6 years old. He will be attending the Spirit Awakening Ceremony tomorrow. Don't be late!" The elder scolded the black-haired man, before then hugging his cane, which was in his hands, as he smiled. "If only our town could have a Spirit Master…. It would bring honour to our ancestors!"

Tang Wu only scoffs in reply. "Instead of a Spirit Master, how about a chef? I'm so hungry." He said dejected.

The elder's expression changed from joy to anger in a instant, as he summoned a large spiritual carrot in his right hand, and throttled towards the bearded man that was Tang Wu. "You dare insult a Spirit Master? I'll kill you!"

The Fate God, and Tang San each grabbed one arm of the elder, trying to pull him back.

"Elder, calm your heart!" Tang San called out.

"You shouldn't be angry, you might hurt someone with that!" The Fate God added.

Tang Wu, only walked to the cauldron that was beside the table, and pulled out the ladle in it, and drinking the soup in it quietly.

"So frustrating…." The elder said, as he dispelled his magical carrot, and turned to the door, as he sighed. "The I'll be going. Xiao San, look after your self."

"Okay, have a safe trip!" Tang San replied cheerfully, as the elder went through the door, and closed it.

Tang San then turned to his father, who was still busy drinking more soup from the ladle.

"Dad, I need to talk to about something…." The young boy said to him.

"Didn't I already agree to go to the ceremony?" Tang Wu replied.

"I want a piece of metal." Tang San declared softly.

The Fate God only smirked at that.

' _To begin inventing one of his strongest weapons in this realm of course…_ ' The god thought, as Tang Wu stopped drinking, before then pulling off the cap of a beer bottle with his teeth, and turning to his son with a side-glance.

"You want to forge?" He said, as he then took a few gulps on the bottle. "With your body, you can't even lift the hammer. Wait a few more years!"

"I see." Tang San replied, looking a little dejected.

He then turned around to see the Fate God, who looked at him with a neutral expression.

"Are you… Tang San?" The other boy spoke quietly, as Tang San only pointed at himself.

"Yes, I am." Tang San replied, before smiling, while pointing to himself. "Do you want to be friends?"

The Fate God then fell onto his knees, as he was overcome with feeling of joy and relief, as his eyes began to leak tears profusely, before he then rushed to Tang San, and tackled him down with a hug, as he bawled, leaking both snot and tears

"Twung Suannnn!" The Fate God cried, as he hugged the younger boy very tightly, as his voice was slightly gibbered by how much he was leaking "I'wve missed yew so vch…! Of corrwse I'wl be yeur frwend! I'm swo sowwy for lewting yew go to yewr fwte alune!"

Tang San was taken by surprise, as he didn't know the person who was crying the moment he met him, and hugging him as if he was someone that he missed so much. He then tried to push off the Fate God, but realised that he was hugging him too tight to be able to even wriggle out of it.

"Uh, I think you might have got the wrong person…." Tang San said, a little worried. "But you said about me dying. What do you mean?"

The Fate God then let go of Tang San, as he then wiped the snot and tears off his face with a final sniffle.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that…. I finally got to meet you again." The Fate God replied. "I'm not from the world you first reincarnated from. I'm actually a part of this realm, and from a distant future of this land."

"So, you're someone who knows me in the future. How long after?" Tang San asked with a worried expression. "And keep it down, my father could hear all of this."

"I doubt he would." The Fate God said, as he pointed at Tang Wu, who was snoring loudly, and asleep. "He's drunk again, and went to sleep before I even said all of that."

Tang San only remained silent, as his expression turned from his childish side, to an expression befitting of his past self.

"Alright, I don't know who you are, but I trust that you aren't here to cause trouble for me. Tell me, what exactly happened in the future?" He asked the mortal god.

The Fate God only sighed.

"It's a long story to tell, but I can simplify it a just a few sentences. You actually achieved your dream and more, you resurrected the Tang Clan, and it went on to be the strongest clan for millenniums, then you went through trials to become a high god, particularly the Sea God, and several of your close friends ascended to godhood with you. The God realm, where the gods live, ended up being trashed by another stupid idiot of a god, you stayed to help everyone try to prevent the realm from collapsing from said idiot's action, and I chose to go back in time in order to redo everything, and prevent the cataclysm from happening. That's it, and that leads to where I am now."

Tang San tilted his head slightly, as he was surprised by how much the person before him knew.

"And how do you know all of this?" Tang San asked with genuine curiosity.

The Fate God then stretched his arms out to the side, trying to pose like a god-like being.

"Because I am the Fate God, god of events and god of chance and fortune, and one of the people who you saved when you were a god." The Fate God declared in a noble tone, before then putting his arms down, deflated. "Or so I used to be…. It turns out that when I tried to go back in time with the help of the Time God, the special cataclysm actually broke the time passage, and sent me here with every single part of my godly power stripped from me. I'm now a young boy, armed with more power, and speed than a regular human, and the knowledge of your future, which was imparted to me by you."

"I see…. And how do I know you're not lying?" Tang San questioned the god further.

"I can give you three things that I know about you, to prove I'm being absolutely honest." The Fate God said, as he numbered off with the fingers of his right hand. "One, you died for your first time, utilising the Raging Lotus, the strongest weapon in that world's Tang Sect. Two, you took everything from the Tang Sect, because you lost your love in a tragic incident. And finally, Three, you gained every single art you learned from the Tang Sect in your previous life, as well as training to bring them back to their full potential. These three things are not even heard of, or existent in this world, so the proof is absolutely undeniable. Unless I'm wrong then."

Tang San only remained silent, as he chuckled. "Alright, you got me there. I guess you really must be my friend in the future, if you knew all of that." He said, now taking a more friendly tone.

"You weren't really my friend in the future, more like a colleague." The Fate God replied. "But now that I have the chance, I really want to get to know you, and be a part of your journey, as your first friend."

"Then let's re-introduce ourselves then. I guess we're going to be having quite the interesting adventure together then." Tang San replied, as he put out a hand. "Tang San, inheritor of the Tang Sect, and son of Tang Wu. What's your name?"

The Fate God gave him a wide smile, as he clasped the hand of his future companion.

"You may call me Liu Shun." The god replied. "The God of Fate, and the Master of Blades, my dear friend."


	3. Chapter 2

Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): To Relive Fate  
Chapter 2: Spirit Awakening Ceremony

* * *

By the clearing nearby the Tang family residence, Liu Shun and Tang San were entering the area, as Liu Shun was looking around, as he examined the set of trees that were close to him, as each of them had marking of palm strikes on them, at varying degrees of depth and strength, and the grass on the floor was torn and ripped greatly, indicating that fast and vigorous movement took place on them.

 _So this is where Tang San practised his arts..._ Liu Shun thought to himself. _On the trees were his training of his Mystic Palm Technique. And on the ground, even though the technique was supposed to leave no trail, was where he practised his Shadow Track Technique. Ever since he came to the world, he trained his former sect techniques in secrecy, away from his father and mother. I remember that I once was like that, when I was still a mortal back then..._

Tang San then turned around, to face Liu Shun. "This here is where I train. You said that you wanted to go there for something. Now that we're here, I would like to ask what is it that you wish to plan to do here?" He spoke in a intrigued tone.

"Give me a moment." Liu Shun replied, as he then summoned the Great Blade of Elements, which appeared in a flash of blue energy, and surprised Tang San.

"You... You already have a Spirit Tool!?" Tang San asked in surprise.

"I... Well, it would count as one, but I'm not using it for whatever I plan to do with you." Liu Shun replied, as he moved over to a low hanging branch of a tree, and cut it off with a single swipe of the blade, before then grabbing the branch, and whittling it with the blade, into a straight and smooth wooden pole with a handle on the bottom. "There, it's done."

"What is that for? And how did you manage to cut the wood so easily with that weapon of yours?" Tang San questioned him.

"For one purpose, and only that purpose." Liu Shun answered back, before he desummoned his own weapon, and grasped the freshly-made wooden stick in his hands. "Tang San, I want you to have a spar with you."

"...I see. So you want to test me?" Tang San said, as his eyes steeled, while he shifted into a combat pose.

"More so to test myself, my friend. And who better than the former number one of the mortal realms?" Liu Shun chuckled, as he smiled warmly. "Like I said, I've weakened so much that I need to re-train myself, in order to find my own bearings with my current state. Sure, I may look refined and experienced now, but I want to make sure that I can be able to fight properly, and be used to it. Otherwise, all that will happen when I face a real challenge, is a swift death."

Liu Shun then shifted the blade over his back. "I want you to push me as far as you can, Tang San. I know that your arts have not improved much from your fresh state when you were born and as you remembered, but it should be close enough to reach my current level. And without my Spirit Tool, you can see how strong I am. No holding back, because I won't either, but we'll stop when either of us cannot fight without risk of permanent injury. Will that be fine with you, my partner?"

Tang San only remained silent, before his lips turned slightly upwards into a anticipating smile.

"Alright. It might also be good practice to implement my techniques into real combat." Tang San smirked.

"So true. Time to see where you have come up to, Tang San. And to see how far I've fallen from my throne of power." Liu Shun spoke in a bold tone.

Liu Shun soon charged at Tang San at a very fast speed, with his blade raised to stab at Tang San, as the latter moved back in a instant, using the Shadow Trace technique, before then moving forward and attacking him with a palm strike.

In retaliation to the attack, Liu Shun steeled himself on the attack, used the edge of the stick to push back against Tang San's attack, flipping his arm upwards, and slashing down at Tang San, who barely managed to right himself, in order to knock the wind out of Tang San's body.

However, Tang San already recovered from having his attack parried, as he used his other arm to grip the stick, and push against it to prevent it from reaching him, before he then cocked back his hand to slam Liu Shun across the field with one of his more powerful attacks, Mystic Hands.

Liu Shun immediately realised that Tang San was about to try and crush him in a single blow, and immediately twisted the stick into a diagonal-block, as Tang San thrust his palm with great force that is not found in a typical boy of his age, and the palm collided with the stick, causing it to splinter, and send Liu Shun flying onto the trunk of a tree, as he slumped back down, before getting up, looking at his broken stick.

"Well... So much for trying to make a good impression on you." Liu Shun sighed, as he chucked the shattered weapon away. "I guess either I was too soft on you, trying to use a easily breakable weapon like that, to test you, or you've gotten far more powerful now that you have an incentive made by the spar to use more of your power to break your limits in preparation for future opponents. Either way, I'm disappointed that I gave you such a short spar. Forgive me if I'm not exactly as powerful as I claim now."

"No." Tang San replied humbly, as he approached his former opponent. "I was expecting you to immediately keel over by the first strike, since sometimes, the quicker a battle ends, the better, as a saying goes. And then you surprised me when you managed to endure against my Mystic Hands attack, even though it is still incomplete. This only proves that you proved that your words are honest when you said you were formerly a god. It should be my disappointment that I did not believe your words earlier."

"I... Thank you for your humble words, Tang San." Liu Shun bowed gently in response, before he raised his head. "Now that the day for the Spirit Awakening Ceremony has yet to come until tomorrow, I would like to ask if I may take shelter in your house for the day only? I promise that I will take care of your father and myself for the time being."

"...If that is what you so wish." Tang San replied with a smile. "After all, I can't just turn away a person who would want to be my friend so eagerly, and has ambition to become stronger with the help of each other. Come, let's return to my home."

"Then I promise that I'll repay this favour in the future, in any way possible." Liu Shun replied, as he and Tang San headed back to their town.

* * *

 _In the Spirit Hall, a day after..._

Tang San and Liu Shun strided into the bustling hall, side by side, as they examined the entire interior, and the children inside that were about to be part of the Spirit Awakening Ceremony. In the midst of the crowd of children, they found the elder and the examiner, who had short blonde hair, a black cape, and a white robe, talking to each other, as the elder was paying his respects to the examiner, almost calling him 'handsome', as the examiner asked for the elder to leave so that he can begin the examination, which the elder did so with a simple answer of 'Yes, sure.'.

The examiner then turned to the children, as he began to introduce himself in a stern tone. "I am the examiner today. I am a Level 26 Spirit Grandmaster, my profession is 1st Rank Spirit Master. I shall guide you today to unlocking your spirits. When you have awakened your Essence Spirits, you will then have your Essence Level tested as well. Those who are worthy will become a Spirit Master."

He then smirked, as he raised a hand with a yellow orb floating above it. "And now... I'll show you a spirit of a true spirit master. Pay close attention, so that you'll see for yourselves the power of a spirit Master! Lone Wolf! TRANSFORM!"

The orb disappeared, as the examiner experienced physical changes, as his hair turned white and two wolf ears appeared on top of his head, as well as his eyes becoming black with blue irises, and his mouth now bore the fangs of a wolf, and his hands were still human with claw-like fingernails, with his lower arms being surrounded by a gauntlet of silver fur, and his torso was covered in a white carapace with silver sharp armoured plates over his chest and abdomen.

This shocked most of the children, even causing one of them to break down into crying from how scary the transformed examiner looked. Tang San, however, was amazed by the act, and Liu Shun smiled at the sight of seeing a powerful being before him.

"There are two types of spirits. Tool and Beast, and my 'Lone Wolf' is of the latter." The examiner said, before he then ushered one of the male children into a open space, as he raised a hand. "Spirit! AWAKEN!"

A magic circle appeared below and above the child, as a white scarf appeared around his neck, as one end was floating in the wind to be seen.

"Your Spirit is a Tool Spirit, although it is only a 'Hankerchief'... A 'Junk Spirit'. Indeed a shame..." The examiner shook his head in disappointment. "They lack any capability in battle, be it offensive, defensive or supportive. But there is some consolation. I'll test your Essence Level."

He then produced a blue crystal ball, and placed it on the ground in front of him. "Place your hands on the crystal ball."

As the boy did as he was told, the examined continued his lecture about the important things a Spirit Master has. "Essence Level is very important to a Spirit Master. It determines at what level of training they start at. Only those with a essence level when their spirit is awakened can become spirit Masters through training."

There was no response from the crystal ball, as the boy tried to concentrate some more energy to get a better response, before he then left dejected from the results.

Countless Junk Spirits were found within the children, as they all yielded an Essence Level of 0, noted from the lack of reaction of the crystal ball from the first candidate.

"Last Candidates, Tang San and... Liu Shun?" The examiner asked. "You must be from somewhere else. But you will be tested the same. Tang San, you will be tested first."

Tang San then raised his hand, as he closed his eyes, and concentrated, with the help of the examiner's instructions to do so, before his Tool Spirit appeared, which was a teal-blue strand of grass.

"River Grass... Another one. Tch." The examiner announced in disappointment, as the other children who got more viable results jeered at Tang San, while Liu Shun was smiling the entire time. "That's the end."

"Examiner, you haven't checked my Essence Level yet!" Tang San exclaimed, as the examiner only sighed, before placing the crystal ball for him to use, before turning away.

"There's no need." He replied. "It is unlikely you'll have a non-zero Essence level with that kind of Junk Spirit."

 _'Oh... It won't be zero... It'll be much higher!_ ' Liu Shun thought with pride.

As soon as Tang San touched the crystal ball, a much more lighter glow appeared in the ball, as it began to grow and spread, before it showed the River Grass inside of it, but the light was so clear and crystalline.

The elder immediately burst in to see where the great light was coming from. "What's happening!?" He demanded, as he ran closer.

The examiner, having reverted back to his human form, only watched in awe. "The Junk Spirit... It's Essence Level Harmonisation!" The examiner called out. "The highest essence level that can be reached upon Spirit Awakening... His power is now equal to that of a Level 10 Spirit Trainee!"

Tang San only looked at the orb, before he then noticed a golden glow on his left hand, as it shone with a wavy image of a hammer.

He then placed the crystal ball down, as the light dissipated, and the glow on his hand disappeared.

"...Last one, Liu Shun." The examiner simply stated, as Liu Shun approached as asked, before he did the same thing as Tang San, raising his hand, and concentrating his energy.

' _Alright... I mustn't show them the Great Blade of Elements, or at least, not the real one. Even incomplete, in the right hands, it would be a weapon that would make someone almost at the same level as most Spirit Ancestors._ ' Liu Shun thought. _'Good thing I remember how to camouflage the appearance of my Spirit with a false one._ '

As he summoned his Spirit, it became the image of a small iron sword, with wisps of blue energy flowing around it.

"A sword as a Tool Spirit?" The examiner asked. "So you're a front-line fighter, to strike down opponents with great strength and prowess. Let us test your Essence Level."

Liu Shun only silently nodded, before he picked up the orb, and focused his energy into it.

 _'I can only hope that I'll be able to get to the same level as Tang San..._ ' Liu Shun wondered. ' _Even if I can't, I'll train myself until I am!'_

The crystal ball began to glow, before the light grew the same way it did, just like the previous user, except the moment when Liu Shun's Great Blade of Elements was projected, it began to tremble and vibrate, as cracks began to grow around, as the examiner, elder and Liu Shun were shocked at what is happening.

 _'Oh... This is NOT good!_ ' Liu Shun panicked, as he tried to cut off the energy he was giving to the crystal ball, to try and stop the overflow that was causing the crystal ball to fracture itself, only for it to have no effect whatsoever, as the cracks were beginning to spread.

"Drop the ball, NOW!" The examiner roared, as Liu Shun did so without any hesitation, and immediately backed up as far as could, as the ball grew brighter and brighter, before it exploded into a shower of clear shards with a blue explosion of light, causing everyone to cover their eyes.

"What... What happened? Examiner?" Liu Shun asked. "Did... was there anything wrong? I just simply let my energy in as you asked, and I cut my energy off when it was about to break! I don't know what caused it!"

The examiner was shocked, as he looked at what remained of the crystal ball, then at Liu Shun, before he then pinched his nose in frustration.

"Of all the times I have to see such a case happen... To a common Tool Spirit..." The examiner cursed, before he then calmed down. "Liu Shun... Considering that you have managed to reach Essence Level Harmonisation before... the accident. I certify that you are at the same level. I apologise if this has caused you fear."

"It was scary, yes..." Liu Shun replied in a falsified afraid tone. "I didn't do anything bad, did I?"

"No... You're free to go." The examiner replied with a warm smile.

He then left, as Tang San approached him, and the rest of the children left.

"What just happened there?" Tang San asked.

"I... I do not know..." Liu Shun admitted. "I was sure that I was putting my full energy into it, and it only cracked and blew up when it compared that energy essence against my Spirit. It must have been that my Spirit overloaded whatever magic was in there so much it couldn't take it anymore."

"That Spirit... What is it truly?" Tang San asked.

"I cannot say yet. But I can tell you it's far more powerful than what you saw it as in its incomplete form." Liu Shun answered back. "We have to go, before i arouse more suspicion. I'm not exactly eager to be hunted down just because I blew up a examination device in such young age."

"...Yes." Tang San nodded, before they left and headed back to Tang San's home, all while the elder was stunned at what he just saw.

When they reached their home, they shut the door behind them, and checked Tang Hao, as he was in drunken sleep as always.

"Since you know a lot about me..." Tang San asked, before he then raised his left hand, as the golden glow appeared in the form of a mark on the backside. "Could you tell me what this thing is?"

"That's the Clear Sky Hammer." Liu Shun replied. "If I remember clearly, that thing is powerful to no end, since it acts as some sort of boost for you, allowing you use your spirit power in much more powerful bursts. In the future I came from, you always were secretive about it, so I never got to know what powers it gained over time. So, I can't help you with it. But your father can."

He then gave Tang Hao a light slap to knock him out of his sleep, as Tang Hao yawned and took a look at the two boys.

"Ah, you two are back. My son, and the outsider brat." Tang Hao said. "When the spirit is awakened, you'll have a spirit mark somewhere on your body. What is yours, son?"

"River grass, junk spirit." Tang San stoically stated, showing him his Spirit, which caused Wu to become silent with some surprise evident on his face. "And about the other one... Why do I have another Spirit?"

He then showed his other spirit, as it appeared from the golden Spirit Mark on his left hand, being a refined hammer with a comet-like head, and red crystal orbs on the head's front and the hilt.

Tang Hao scrambled up, as he immediately gasped. "Double Spirits... Essence Harmonisation?" He spoke slowly, before he then enveloped his son in a strong hug, as he was crying tears of joy. "Honey, did you see? Our son has 2 spirits! And he has your River Grass Spirit!"

"So... This was mother's Spirit?" Tang San muttered, as he looked at his River Grass Spirit.

He then looked at Liu Shun. "Hey, brat. You were watching all of this, were you?" Tang Hao asked.

"I was." Liu Shun replied, as he placed his hands together in a formal gesture. "This little one does not dare to lie to the respectful father of a friend."

"Hmmm... I see that you're honest with your words." Tang Hao replied. "I want you to make a promise with my son. Ensure my son never ever use the Hammer he has in his left hand to protect himself, or the Spirit in his right hand. And that you will not speak a single word about the other spirit, and take care of him in my stead."

Liu Shun only frowned, before he then came closer. "I can do that." He said, before he then summoned his spirit. "But first, I want you to witness this."

Liu Shun then flipped the blade around, before he then jabbed the tip of the blade into the palm of his other hand deep enough to draw blood, as he gritted his teeth against the pain, while the Tang family watched in both shock and horror, as he then stopped, letting the blood drip from his hands.

"Then I swear an oath to any gods among this land, with my blood as the price to seal it..." Liu Shun solemnly spoke. "...That I shall divulge not a single thought or word about the secret held in the hands of the Tang Clan, and that I will protect Tang San until the end of either his or my life, even if it comes to the worst of consequences and costs for me. That is my promise to the heavens, and should I break it, may it rain down a thousand deaths and tortures upon what remains of my damned soul."

"What... You... You're that serious... to make a blood oath over a promise like this?" Tang Hao replied, before he smiled. "So, you're the kind of person who would never go back on his word, no matter the promise. I see that you might exactly be the kind of person that would help Tang San. I accept your oath."

He then grabbed a roll of blue bandage fabric, before wiping some of the leaked blood from Liu Shun's palm onto it, and using the doused fabric to tie a ribbon over Tang San's golden Spirit Mark on his left hand.

"Do not let anyone but Liu Shun see this mark." Tang Hao instructed his son. "And now... As you have wanted, I will teach you to forge, now that you have proven to be like your mother, and now you will learn to be like me as well!"

He then moved into another room, which was made into a blacksmith's forge with anvil, hammer and furnace, as he lit the furnace, before gathering the materials to forge a ingot of iron.

"Remember my every movement, for even the slightest error will deviate from the perfect style of my forging arts!" Tang Hao cried out, as he began to create the ingot, as his hands were precise to the very spot, and his strikes were made with the perfectly same force as the others, before he then pulled out the perfected ingot. "To make good weapons from normal materials is what true skill in forging can achieve. Anything below is merely parlour tricks compared to real forging."

"Yes! I'll do my best!" Tang San replied with a sense of determination.

* * *

 _A day later..._

Liu Shun and Tang San were sitting in a horse-cart leaving Quintessence Village, as Liu Shun was holding a letter in his hand, and Tang San was looking back at the town with fresh tears in his eyes.

 _Xiao San:_

 _Father is leaving, and don't look for me. I know that you want to be a Spirit Master, so study hard at the Academy!_

 _Don't worry about me, you have your mother's gentleness. I know you'll be fine on your own. Father is a useless person, but I still have something I want to protect, and now I'm going to take back what's mine._

 _The hammer technique is probably the only thing for you to remember me by.. Go practice it when you miss me. If you change your mind one day, just come back to Quintessence and be a blacksmith..._

 _Son, I want you to be strong, but I don't want you to become very strong. No matter what lies ahead, be brave and walk forward! You have someone who would pledge his life in being your ally at such a young age, so don't let it go to waste, for with allies comes greater power._

Liu Shun then folded the note, and placed it on Tang San's lap, with a melancholic smile.

"Your father truly cared for you." Liu Shun stated. "It is a rare occasion when you meet a father who spent most of his life with you agonising about the fact that you would become a pawn in the great world before you, to die a miserable death. He may have sheltered you, but he never neglected to give you your spirit, Tang San. It is only fair that we honour his word to move on, and show him that you'll go into godhood itself in time."

"Even so... I feel sad for leaving Quintessence Village. Even the noisy elder there." Tang San replied with his own sad smile.

"Don't forget you still have me. I won't be going anywhere so soon." Liu Shun answered back. "If you need a shoulder to lean on, or someone to talk to about your problems, I'm always there to support you, because under the oath, we're kindred spirits."

"Heh... You really are too nice for your own good." Tang San chuckled.

"Only to you... my friend and saviour... only to you."

They soon arrived at Notan Beginner's Academy, stopping at the front door of the Academy, as they moved off, with their paperwork in hand.

"This place is quite big, no?" Liu Shun asked. "I'm wondering how long it'll take for you to get familiar with this place. Even I feel this place is a maze compared to the village."

Tang San only remained silent, as they went through the doors, where they encountered a female receptionist dealing with some paperwork.

"Ahem... Excuse me, kind sister?" Liu Shun asked.

She then stopped, and noticed the two boys, as she smiled. "Ah, you must be the new students here." The receptionist replied, as Tang San moved the completed paperwork onto the desk, as she snatched it and analysed it for a while, before then placing it down. "We've found a dorm for the two of you. Dorm 7, just outside and to the right."

"Thank you." Tang San said with a bow, as Liu Shun did the same, as they left the receptionist to continue her work.

They soon arrived at the door of their dorm, as they could hear the sound of fighting inside.

"Be prepared to fight..." Tang San replied, as he pushed the door open.

They were met with the sight of a large room with rows of beds, as there was a small pile of unconscious children, as a spiky-haired one was beating down on a short brown-haired one with his fists, as the spiky-haired fighter turned to see the two new arrivals.

"Oh, new students? You're next!" The spiky-haired boy said, as he got up and sized up the two other boys. "I'm the boss of the dorm! How about it? Fight me if you don't like it!"

Liu Shun only shifted with his arms out. "I don't want to fight, but if you try, I won't give you mercy."

"I don't want to be the boss." Tang San blandly replied.

"The winner is boss?" A young female voice was heard. "Let's all fight!"

The new arrival then walked forward, as a girl with short brown combed hair, with a ponytail, and pink eyes, as well as two tiny bunny ears on top of her head, and a pink dress with a blue ribbon on top, and a short white frilly skirt, as well as brown shoes.

"Okay then, I'll take you three all on at the same time!" The spiky-haired kid said.

Liu Shun immediately froze, as he was stunned by the girl in front of him.

 _'Xiao... Xiao Wu!?'_ He thought, as he blushed a little at the girl's cute appearance, before he shook his head. ' _Now's not the time to wallow in her cuteness! She's going to hammer me into the floor if I don't have my eyes on her movements!_ '

"Sure!" She chirped, before she then dashed towards the spiky-haired kid at a speed that the other children couldn't see, except Tang San, who saw her reach the arrogant kid with a single stride, and Liu Shun, who noticed the same thing, albeit a little later.

She then immediately weaved and bobbed around the spiky-haired kid, as he tried to hit her with kicks and punches, as she then grabbed the boy by the head with a leg-scissors, before then using her extreme speed to flick him across the room, as it passed both Liu Shun and Tang San, as Tang San watched the boy, and Liu Shun immediately crossed his arms.

"Your turn!" Xiao Wu declared with a sweet tone, as she went for Liu Shun, slamming his arms with multiple fast kicks, as he was being slammed back faster than the boy was flying, before she then leaped off of his arms, and went for Tang San, who used his hands to counter back the flurry of kicks.

As soon as Liu Shun disengaged his guard, he noticed the flying boy was exactly aimed towards him, as he only cursed under his breath, before he then draw back his fist.

 _'_ _Deep breaths... Gather your power into one spot... Knock him back... I'm strong enough if I could outrun that bastard tiger before..._ ' Liu Shun thought, before he then smashed it forward in a short stance into the back of the boy, sending him flying back where Tang San and Xiao Wu were.

Xiao Wu noticed the spiky-haired boy, and Liu Shun with his fist out, as he was dashing towards them, before she then slammed the flying boy into Tang San, who kicked him back, creating a rally of bounces, with the poor victim begin battered all over by the attacks.

After the boy was knocked out of the reach of both attackers, Tang San then disappeared using Shadow Track, revolving around Xiao Wu, before then aiming to palm-strike him from behind, just as Liu Shun was about to do a dashing upper-kick to smash the girl down.

However, Xiao Wu's fast reactions prevented either of them from getting their attack, as Xiao Wu stopped Tang San with a mid-kick, and Liu Shun with a counter-kick.

"I win~" She declared, as she flipped Tang San over herself, right onto Liu Shun, who was knocked back, and barely fast enough to recover, and catch Tang San, as both of them collapsed on the ground. "

Tang San got up, as Liu Shun staggered back up.

"My name is Xiao Wu." Xiao Wu introduced herself. "But since I'm boss now, you call me Sister Xiao Wu!"

"Ugh... Even as a bunny... Xiao Wu kicks like a monster..." Liu Shun huffed.

"Wait... You know her as well?" Tang San asked.

"Yeah. She's your..." Liu Shun was about to say, before he then realised that some things are better left unsaid. "You'll see..."


	4. Chapter 3

Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): To Relive Fate  
Chapter 3: Academy Days

Response to Reviews:

Seltrios: Yeah, I guess kind of so. Then again, I don't blame your judgement. OC meets canon character, and said OC is from the future. Cliches ensue, but trust me, I will do my best to balance between the new and the familiar in my story.

Xekun's Burger: Don't worry, I won't abandon this any time soon. It's just that I've got a lot of stories to juggle between, as shown in my profile page. I'm most active with the Unmei Force volumes, but only because I need to do a lot of story-making to get a proper canon set within another author's timeline, as given permission by.

* * *

 _In Dorm 6..._

Liu Shun woke up in his own dorm bed, which was opposite of the bed that Tang San and Xiao Wu took, as he got up, and stretched his arms, before rubbing his eyes. He noticed that most of the children were already awake, including the former boss kid of the dorm, who Xiao Wu gave a sound beating to.

When he got up from his bed, he noticed that Xiao Wu was also getting up, and she took off the blanket that was on her, and grabbed her end of the blanket, before then pulling it hard enough to jolt Tang San awake.

"Time to wake up, lazy bum!" Xiao Wu sang, as Tang San scrambled onto his feet, with his arms up, looking frantically around for surprises, tiredly muttering incoherent phrases, as Liu Shun only giggled when he saw the entire scene.

' _Oh, Xiao Wu was always the sneaky trickster of the two of them._ ' Liu Shun thought. _'I could only feel pity that he hasn't gotten used to that side of her yet._ '

Xiao Wu then pulled out a round yellow comb with a carrot symbol on it. "Here, brush my hair!" Xiao Wu ordered the recently-awoken Tang San, as she shoved it towards him.

"Brush... hair?" Tang San asked, pointing at himself. "Why would I know how to?"

Xiao Wu only took back the comb, as she looked at it with teary eyes. "Mother always did it before... But she's not here." Xiao Wu sadly said.

Tang Wu was shocked that he hurt her feelings, before he then only sighed, as he took the comb. "It's my first time, so don't blame me if I mess up."

Xiao Wu only giggled back, as she undid her ponytail, letting her brown hair flow out, as Tang San took her hair in one hand, and the comb in the other, as he brushed it as best as he could.

Liu Shun became absorbed by the heart-warming scene, as Tang San made several mistakes, and Xiao Wu often yelped and complained as a result, but eventually, Tang San managed to comb her hair slowly and carefully, as Xiao Wu had a warm smile.

"Brushing her hair? A male's dignity..." The spiky-haired boy from yesterday lamented.

Liu Shun heard his words, and immediately stomped over, and whacked the boy on the head with firm force, causing him to clutch his head, and glare at Liu Shun, who returned it with a stern one.

"That's my friend you're talking about." Liu Shun stated heatedly. "Besides, this isn't men's dignity, this is the dignity of a gentleman. Who wouldn't want to make a girl happy by brushing her hair?"

The other boys only voiced their agreement, as the spiky-haired child only nodded, before Liu Shun went back to where he was, as he saw that Tang Wu just finished the brushing, as Xiao Wu was holding a carrot-shaped mirror with the same vegetable as a board on the back, admiring the job he has done.

"Wow! Nice, Xiao San!" Xiao Wu exclaimed with joy, as she gave him a smack across the forehead with her mirror. "I knew that you were the right guy! This will be your job from now on! Oh, and give me back my hairbrush."

She then snatched her hairbrush back, as Tang Wu only looked at her with a conflicted expression, before deflating with a fake smile, as she watched her kick the beds to wake those still asleep, as Liu Shun flinched.

 _'Good thing I was already awake._ ' Liu Shun thought. _'I don't know if I can bear the earthquake her kick would bring._ '

* * *

 _In class..._

Most of the students were in the class, as they were now wearing a blue cape with a pink brooch as the buckle.

"For today's class, we will learn the relationship between spirits and essence." A red-haired teacher with glasses stated, standing beside two tall wooden poles, before she then summoned a feather-like dagger in her hand. "Take Spirits for a example, without essence, they are just a normal object. With it, they will transform."

She then swung the dagger, as it cut through the pole. "The higher the level of essence, and the higher the quality of the spirit, the stronger it will be." She continued her lecture. "Hard work can make you better, but at the same time, talent is important as well. If the Spirit is a 'Junk Spirit', then no matter how high the essence, it is merely useless."

Tang San summoned his River Grass, as he looked at it with a stoic expression.

Liu Shun put a hand on Tang San's shoulder, as it caused the blue-haired boy to face his companion, who had a sympathetic expression.

"Don't listen to what she said about 'Junk Spirits'." Liu Shun advised him with a whispering voice. "Don't forget, it's because of this little strand of grass that kick-started your rise into becoming the strongest Douluo in this land. Besides, one man's trash may be another's treasure. You just haven't found the way to develop it into the mightiest weapon that few can parallel."

"Thanks, Liu Shun." Tang San replied. "Maybe it will become stronger than they thought."

* * *

 _Lunchtime, at the school cafeteria..._

"...And then she was mumbling about two people called 'Er Ming' and 'Da Ming'." Tang San told Liu Shun, as they were waiting in line to get their food. "Do you know who they might be?"

"I don't remember much of the specifics of her past or any others's, only yours." Liu Shun shook his head. "But if I can recall from long ago, I remember that Xiao Wu once said they were her guardians, both in literal and maternal sense. And by the way... You should be happy that you have a cute girl with you. I would do almost anything to be in the same place."

Tang San only let out a sigh. "And why is that?" Tang San inquired.

"I would refrain from telling you now, but since you're going to find out one way or the other, I may as well spill it early." Liu Shun replied, as he then leaned closer to whisper in Tang San's ear, with Xiao Wu's lively chatter behind them covering what he was going to say. "When I used to be a god, I fell for her beauty and her cute attitude, as well as her own beastly appearance. You forget that all gods were once mortal, and the mortal part that remained with me, was my own shyness towards beauty and cuteness. If I see something too cute or too beautiful, I might actually blush so hard the sun wouldn't compare to the shade of my face. But don't get me wrong. It's the only thing that makes me human, not some all-powerful god bearing down judgement and arrogance on everyone. I just simply want to be human, but I don't want to embarrass myself like some sort of undisciplined child. So please, I implore you to keep this part of me a secret for as long as you can, and I won't do anything stupid to reveal that side of me. I trust you only because you're the person that made me who I am now, and so the one I trusted the most in my past."

Tang San only contemplated his words, as he found a sense of disgust, yet admiration for his direct honesty to tell the truth first-most to prevent troubles, before he then replied. "Then you can rest easy, for your secret is kept within me." Tang San replied. "Besides, I seen worse in my own past, so you're pretty much just a little meek when it comes to love and beauty, it's nothing worth worrying or hiding about to me, a assassin who done worse things."

"I owe you a thousand thanks for doing so." Liu Shun sighed in relief. "Now that I have that gotten all of it off my chest, I can finally have no regrets for what may come in future, whether's its through hell and valleys of blades."

"Ah, aren't those the poor students who have scholarships?" A arrogant voice was heard above them, as they saw a group of students coming down the stairs from the second floor of the building, lead by a pompous blonde-haired boy with a short black staff in his hand, as he was sneering at them. "Hehe, today's lunch is on me! Lunch is leftovers! Happy?"

The students in the group laughed at the insult, as the Dorm 6 group turned to f'ace the other group, as Tang San, Xiao Wu and Liu Shun dropped their smiles, as Liu Shun noticed that there was the blue-haired boy in the group that was asleep on his feet.

"Didn't notice before... But there's a cute loli between the losers! Too bad she's also a loser!" The stuck-up blonde added, before he laughed loudly.

Liu Shun only clenched his fist, resisting the urge to come up and smack some respect into the obvious noble of the group, but Xiao Wu already responded to the provocation, by leaping into the air towards the blonde-haired boy.

"Wanna die!?" She roared, as she was about to slap the boy, as the boy immediately responded by forming a barrier from his Spirit around him, letting the first strike fail to hit him.

The formerly asleep boy suddenly jolted awake, as he was about to prepare to attack Xiao Wu.

 _'Crap, she's going to get hurt!_ ' Liu Shun panicked, before he looked around for something to jump off to reach the ledge, as he noticed a empty table. _'This will do!'_

He then sprinted and stepped on top of the table, before using all of his strength on his legs to leap over to the location, just as a series of wooden staffs were summoned by the blue-haired boy, aimed at Xiao Wu.

"Sister Xiao Wu!" Liu Shun cried, as he summoned the incomplete version of the Great Blade of Elements, as he sliced the flying staffs in half, surprising the attacker.

Before Liu Shun could dash to blind-side the staff-user with a sideways swing on the flat end of the blade, Tang San immediately smacked the back of the blue-haired boy's neck with a well-aimed horizontal hand strike, causing him to fall down unconscious, while Xiao Wu managed to slap the blonde noble after he failed to react fast enough to dodge one of her attacks.

The blonde clutched the slapped cheek, as his expression was filled with hate.

"You dare hit me!?" The blonde noble hissed with anger. "Hmph! I think the school would want to expel these poor-"

Before the statement could be finished, Liu Shun immediately came over, and thrust his weapon a inch from the noble's chest.

"Listen well and closely, you sorry excuse of a noble." Liu Shun spoke in a venomous tone. "You can call us losers, and you can drag our names through the mud as you wish, and I wouldn't care less for your pitiful actions. But you will stay away from my friends, or that slap will be a mere pinch compared to what I will do to you if I find that you have harmed my friend. I don't care if you're some descendant of the king of the entire realm, or some god turned mortal, if you're going to harm my friends, you'll have to go through me first!"

He then desummoned his weapon and walked back, as Tang San was surprised that Liu Shun was serious in caring about his friends, as he noticed that there was a old man in a plaid coat, grey and white robe, with short white hair and a beanie on his head coming over to see the commotion.

"No personal fights within the campus." He declared, as he looked at the culprits of the action, as Xiao Wu only replied to that with a loud 'Those people started it!'.

The man only continued forward, before he then silently pointed at Tang San, and then noticed that Liu Shun was gesturing that if Tang San is going anywhere, he's coming as well.

"I merely fought to defend myself." Liu Shun stated. "If my friend is to be punished for my actions, then I deserve worse for being the main participant of the fight, as he was merely trying to break it up."

The man silently stared at Liu Shun, before then sighing, before then gesturing him to come as well, as both boys followed the man, while the blonde noble was smirking as if he was about to see them be expelled, and Xiao Wu complaining about the entire matter.

When they arrived at the office, the two boys stood beside each other, as the man was looking outside his window.

"Tang San, other than your River Grass Spirit." He asked Tang San. "What is your other spirit?"

Tang San was visibly shocked that the man knew something he was trying to hide, as Liu Shun raised a eyebrow at how that was one of his reasons that he wanted to talk to Tang San.

Tang San noticed that he was close enough to a table, and closer still to a curved letter-opener. "How do you know?" He asked with a calm tone.

"According to my research, people with essence harmonisation are extremely rare, and to have it with a 'Junk Spirit' like River Grass, it is a one of a kind case." The man explained his reasoning.

Tang San was wearing a suspicious expression, as his hand inched closer to the letter-opener, as Liu Shun turned to him.

" _Take my Great Blade of Elements..._ " He whispered to the reincarnated assassin, as he summoned the weapon discreetly, and handed it blade-first into Tang San's hand. " _You'll do a better job killing him with this weapon if things go awry."_

Tang San accepted the short blade, as he muttered, " _Then what of you?_ "

" _If you miss or fail to kill him, I'll use my own life to pin him down, and give you a chance to finish him off."_ Liu Shun replied back. " _If he's going to use that secret he found to a extent neither of us will be able to repress, then we must kill him before he can even disclose a single clue of it._ "

"From the level of essence and quality of the spirit, River Grass cannot support 'Essence Harmonisation'." The man continued. "So you must have 2 natural Spirits, and that means the other one is very powerful."

"And what are you saying?" Tang San asked, as he got his grip on the blade, ready to throw it at any time.

"Tang San, I want to be your teacher." The man spoke, causing Tang San to be surprised, as Liu Shun couldn't hide his shock as well. "The school values the physical over the theoretical, of which I am of the latter. But I believe that my life's research is actually incredibly useful. Do you believe me when I say that?"

"Everyone says that the River Grass Spirit is a 'Junk Spirit'. Can Junk Spirits be trained?" Tang San inquired.

"I always believed that there is only junk people, no such things as 'Junk Spirits'." The man replied immediately.

Tang San was about to speak, before Liu Shun asked his own question. "Then if you think of that as so, let me ask you, do you truly believe that any person could become a god, if they were to spend even eternity in cultivating into their best ability? And that all gods were made from mortals?" He asked.

The man remained silent, before he then smirked. "Indeed I do. There's another reason why I wanted you to come over as well. I didn't expect you to come with Tang San, but your results have surprised me as well. No common sword spirit would cause the Essence Level measuring crystal ball to explode from overflow. That Spirit of yours, even though you can't tap its full potential,. was a weapon that is a part of a god, no? So, yes, any person will become a god, so long as they have the strength and the longevity to sacrifice in order to achieve that godhood."

Liu Shun only humbly accepted the answer, as he desummoned the Great Blade of Elements again, having seen no reason to distrust his new master forever, as the two boys immediately knelt in respect towards him.

"Tang San greets his master!" Tang San declared with a modest tone.

"Then I, Liu Shun, am willing to accept you as my master." Liu Shun added with a bold tone.

"Kneeling is for parents and kings." The man told them. "There is no need for that."

"One day a master, second father for life." Tang San incited. "I want to be your apprentice."

"I cannot refuse such a prodigious person before me to be my master." Liu Shun replied. "To deduce so many things just by knowing a few mere facts, and the scene that you saw earlier. If I leave you be, then I would have missed the most fitting master for the two of us."

"You can only have one master in your life. So think carefully if you will commit to your apprenticeship under me." The man warned them, in order to discourage them from making a hasty decision.

Instead, they only kowtowed in response, as they both said. "Please accept us as your apprentices!"

The man only laughed, as he coughed a few times. "Then I will bestow you two a gift to share." He said, as he pulled out from a bookshelf a yellow box, with a belt embedded with many pink gems around the entire length of the belt. "This belt is a Essence Tool, something that can also be used with Essence. As for its function, it is to store, like so."

He then held the belt, as he held a book over the belt, activating it with Essence, as the book was sucked into one of the gems. "If essence is channelled into each of the stones, you can store up to 1 cubic metre of stuff inside for each one of them. The art of creating these was lost long ago, so this is technically a antique. Use it well, and give it a fitting name." He explained the function of the belt, before releasing the book back into his hand.

Tang San accepted the belt into his hands. "Thank you, Master. As for it's name, I call it Moon of the 24th Bridge." Tang San replied. "And I want to show you my other spirit."

He then showed off the Clear Sky Hammer, as he dropped the book in his hand, as it clattered on the ground. "That's..." He gasped, before he then paced around, muttering Tang San over again, before he then noticed something. "Who else has seen the spirit?"

"Only my father, and Liu Shun, who swore a blood oath to the heavens to stay by my side, and protect the secrecy of that Spirit." Tang San answered back.

"Don't use it or train it." Their master told them. "You must remember that. I'll teach you to hide your Spirit Mark, and it's easy to do so."

"It is?" Tang San asked, before he turned to Liu Shun. "Is that why you don't have a mark?"

"Yeah." Liu Shun responded back, before lifting the back of his right hand. "If I didn't suppress it, the mark would cover the entirety of the back of my right hand. You just have to think and channel your thought about removing the mark for the moment, and it'll be gone."

Tang San did as he was told, as the Clear Sky Hammer's Spirit Mark disappeared on his hand, as he held the ribbon that covered it in his other hand. "Haha, I did it!" He smiled.

"Now, the two of you have a new task that you must achieve." Their master coughed into his hand. "To increase your Essence Level, you must obtain a Spirit Ring. That means that you must kill a Spirit Beast. We will go to the Spirit Forest tomorrow to do that.

"I see. Teacher, I have something to do, so please give me 2 days." Tang San requested.

"Very well, we will go in two days then." The master agreed, as Tang San only bowed, before he left the office, while Liu Shun was still in the office. "Why haven't you left?"

"Because I too have a secret to tell you right now, one that only Tang San knows." Liu Shun replied, as he kowtowed to the ground again. "I ask for forgiveness for doubting the master of Tang San, the one who became the Sea God."

"Sea God?" The master asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Master, I have something to tell you, something that would be considered most unbelievable." Liu Shun admitted. "In truth, the reason why my Spirit is that of a god's, is because I AM a god, a god turned mortal by being sent to a era before I was born and created as the god I was. I came from a future where Tang San have achieved his ambition of becoming the greatest Douluo in the lands, and ascended to become the Sea God. I am the Fate God, who has seen a tragedy that consumed the Gods themselves, with only myself the sole escapee of the situation. But even I suffered a consequence for my act. I have become mortal, and I remain the same age as Tang San. Since Tang San was one of the people who befriended me the most and did so many things to make me who I am, I swore a oath to be his companion until he reaches godhood, and I would stop at nothing to ensure he succeeds."

"...So that is why you asked that question." The master said. "You seemed to believe that the difference between mortal and god is merely a obstacle, not a indestructible barrier. It doesn't matter if you were a god, you are a mortal like the rest of us. Even so, you still gave much respect to people who deserved it."

"I ask that you train me for the two days." Liu Shun asked, as he summoned the Great Sword of Elements. "Tang San will need a while to continue his work as he said, and I need to find a way to reforge my own Spirit back to a form that I am familiar with. I need more Essence to reforge the sword back to what it was."

"Hmmm... It is incomplete." The master said. "However, I can teach you a way to mold the Spirit into the form it used to be. But it will take a while, and it will mean that your weapon will be weaker than it's supposed to be."

"Strength is not what matters, only the skill in wielding it does for me now." Liu Shun replied. "And may I ask of your name, my master?"

"You may refer to me as the Grandmaster for now." The master answered back.

* * *

 _Two days later, at the Spirit Forest..._

"Spirit Forest is where the Spirit Beasts of the Tian Dou Empire grow." Grandmaster told Tang San and Liu Shun, who had their guard up, with Liu Shun having his Great Sword of Elements recovered to the long-sword shape it was. "In the forest, most of them are low-level ones, so it's the perfect place to get your first Spirit Ring."

"Maybe, but there's too many of them!" Liu Shun cried, as they were surrounded by living garlic bulbs with a green stem, and a crooked mouth, as well as cute dotted black eyes. "And none of them will give me a good ability to use!"

Grandmaster only took out white surgical masks. "Here, put this on. I have a way to solve this problem." He said, as Tang San looked at the mask, then at him, before then doing so, and Liu Shun did the same. "Come out, my Spirit! Lou San Pao!"

In front of the Grandmaster, a small yellow dog with orange wings beside his floppy ears, and a large orange bell tied around its plump neck appeared in front of him, as it jumped towards Grandmaster, nuzzled against his chest.

"Remember this, to be able to summon Spirits, you must have a Essence Level above 10, and so in order to get higher, you will need other things than just simple training." Grandmaster continued his statement. "Only with a Spirit Ring, can you increase your Essence Level limit by 10, so that you can go up to Level 20. And the only way to get them is to kill Spirit Beasts."

He then let go of Lou San Pao, as the dog was facing the horde of living garlic, as the dog began to growl, before then turning around to point its backend towards the monsters, before Grandmaster summoned a yellow Spirit Ring around Lou San Pao, as he then fired off a bursting gust of wind from his bottom, that blew the monsters away, as they fell to the ground, before their bodies glow, and form white rings of energy above them.

"When monsters die, the Spirit Ring will float above their bodies." Grandmaster told his two students. "But the condition is that only the one who dealt the killing blow to it gets to use the Spirit Ring to integrate it into their Spirits. Of course, Spirit Rings can provide new abilities to the Spirit, as well as empowering old ones with new attributes and boons. When you reach Level 10 and have a Spirit Ring, you can use it upgrade your Spirit through absorption in cultivation. But remember, once a Spirit Ring is absorbed, you cannot take another until you have reached the next limit, nor can you swap out Spirit Rings for new ones. So think carefully, and consider that only Spirit Ring that are compatible with your Spirit will benefit you at all."

He then hands Tang San, a small dagger in his coat, as Tang San took the blade, and immediately used his blade to kill more of the living garlic, while Liu Shun dealt with another group by slashing through them with little ease, as their yields have earned several white Spirit Rings, and a Yellow Spirit Ring for Tang San.

"And I forgot to tell you one more thing." Grandmaster concluded his lesson about Spirit Rings. "Spirit Rings grow in power proportional to the age of the monsters or its power. 10-Year Spirit Beasts have a white Spirit Ring, 100-Year Spirit Beasts have a yellow Spirit Ring, 1000-Year Spirit Beasts have a Purple Spirit Ring, 10000-Year Spirit Beasts have a Black Spirit Ring, and 100000-Year Spirit Beasts have a red Spirit Ring. At the limit, using a older or stronger Spirit Ring to breakthrough your Essence Level Limit will give you more Essence to increase your Essence Level first-hand. So in order to get you at a good level that you can train at, you should have a Spirit Ring at least 423 years old to absorb when you reach your Limit."

Lou San Pao then fell on its back, as it looked tired and weak.

"What's with him?" Tang San asked.

"He fainted from hunger. Those radishes were for him to replenish his hunger. He needs them in order to use his abilities, as he is a mutated Spirit with special rules of getting power. Also, he does have a good nose to find other Spirit Beasts." Grandmaster told him, as Tang San only sighed, "Should have told me earlier..."

"Why? Did you do something with them?" Liu Shun asked.

"I gave Xiao Wu a lot of them them, in order to comfort her for a broken comb." Tang San replied, as Liu Shun anime-fell in response, before he got up and rubbed his head.

"Misunderstandings aside..." Liu Shun told his friend, as Tang San was pulling out the radishes from the Moon of the 24th Bridge, as Lou San Pao was eating them like a wolf. "You said that her comb was broken?"

"Yes, by someone, as one of the other boys told me." Tang San answered back.

"I wouldn't doubt that the damn noble had a hand in this." Liu Shun replied with a stern look. "We'll get him back for this in time."

Lou San Pao then got up, as he managed to find a living bamboo stalk, that was walking like a quadruped animal with four short stalk legs.

"This 10-Year Silvercane is very good for defence, but it lacks ability in offensive strategies." Grandmaster stated. "It would be a good Spirit Ring for your River Grass, but I can get both of you better Spirit Rings that you will benefit from more. River Grass is weak, but to me, weak always have a advantage that is unique to each person. 'Weak' uses less Essence, make others underestimate your skill, and lets the River Grass be everything you see. On this continent, River Grass is everywhere to be seen. Plants and animals rely on it to live, so it is in logic, compatible with almost every Spirit Beast that you could find."

Liu Shun then noticed the line of thought that Grandmaster was going on, as he approached Tang San, who summoned his River Grass Spirit to inspect it.

"And think about this, Tang San. Have you ever imagined what you could do with more and more Spirit Rings in the River Grass Spirit?" Liu Shun added. "If we had the first Spirit Ring give it the ability to be stronger and more flexible, would it be so weak? And that's not to mention how each and every Spirit Ring can give you a special ability, like poisoning, weakening or paralysing your enemies easily!"

Tang San then smiled, as he decided what his Spirit will specialise in. "Then I'll make the River Grass be tough and poisonous, so that it will make the enemy weaker, and I can use it to bind the enemies and hit them with my hidden weapons." He said to Liu Shun.

"If you're going to go with the class of binding your enemies down and weakening them with poison, then I may as well tell you how I'm going to go." Liu Shun replied. "I'm going to ensure that my Spirit will be able to weaken my enemies as well, in so many ways, and punish those who are too weak to guard against my blows, as well as ensuring that my enemies will have their eyes on me only, so that you can backstab them from the shadows and siphon their strength and defence away to deal the crushing blow!"

Tang San only smiled, as he then handed Liu Shun one of his hidden weapons, a slender throwing needle with serrated edges.

"This one of your hidden weapons?" Liu Shun asked, as he cuffed it to the edge of his sleeve. "Thanks."

The Grandmaster then suddenly was surprised by a unknown feeling, as he then turned to face the source, as the students looked at him, trying to see what he was worried about.

"Just a little startled about what Lou San Pao found." Grandmaster assured his students, as he pointed at a long snake-like vine wrapped around a large tree, with a large head on each end of the vine. "Just now, San Pao thought that this Devil Snake Vine was a Romanti Snake."

"Are you sure it's not a snake?" Tang San asked.

"Yes. Devil Vine is a very weak plant Spirit, so it disguises itself as the 'Poison Sword' Romanti Snake to scare people off. Even if you looked close up at it, it would be hard to tell the difference." Grandmaster confirmed his statement. "But it is a rarity, and it is a low level monster that doesn't care about the small details. When a monster has not reached 1000 years, it will grow a centimetre a year. Since this vine is 4 metres long, it should be about 400 years old. But there's no such monster that old in the outer edge of the forest. It's funny that it's dumb enough to try this kind of disguise."

"So real... The smell of flowers even has the tingle of poison on it..." Tang San admired the Devil Vine, as Liu Shun was looking at the vine, as he noticed that the Devil Vine had two heads instead of one, as he turned to Grandmaster.

"If the Devil Vine is imitating the Romanti Snake? Wouldn't there be only one head instead of two?" Liu Shun asked his master. "Even if it was trying to imitate a 400-year Romanti Snake, it shouldn't have two heads at all."

"Perhaps it might be two Devil Vines living together... Or it might be..." Grandmaster was about to say, before he noticed a figure leaping towards him, as he immediately got Lou San Pao beside him, as he fired off a bolt of thunder that killed the flying figure, which was revealed to be a large wolf with a black and white fur colour, as well as white marks around its eyes, as more of its brethren appeared, circling the group. "A Ghost Wolf pack, here!?"

"Master!" The two students cried out, as they were prepared to fight.

"Don't worry... These wolves are only around 10 years old, so San Pao can defeat them easily." Grandmaster assured them. "The last attack scared them, so as long we don't attack, we will be fine."

They nodded, as they kept their guard, as time slowly passed around them, as the Ghost Wolves only slowly circled around the group.

"Starving us out?" Tang San said. "They're cunning for a pack... Master, any longer, and we will be in trouble."

"Then we will fight." Grandmaster said, before he then raised his hand to use one of San Pao's abilities.

Before it could be used, another wolf with white fur and blue marks around its joints and on top of its head howled, as it leaped over the Ghost Wolf Pack, and aimed for Tang San, while Grandmaster was still in the middle of using his ability, as it caused a rumble to be heard, frightening the Ghost Wolves.

"Tang San, look out!" Liu Shun said, as he immediately knocked Tang San to the side, as the wolf immediately struck him across the forest, as both were flying into the back of the forest.

"Liu Shun!" Tang San cried, as he was about to rush to help him, before one of the Devil Vines suddenly jolted forward, and lashed towards one of the fleeing Ghost Wolves, gripping it in its jaws, showing that it was a real Romanti Snake, not the imitation the Devil Vine made. "What!?"

"No... It can't be..." Grandmaster spoke with shock. "I should have noticed... Every 211 years, the Romanti Snake must shed its skin, making it extremely weak, so it will find a place to hide. So it had everyone fooled by hiding beside another Devil Vine, so that it looks like it is one as well. The real one was hiding behind the fake."

The Romanti snake finished off the meal that was in its mouth, as it immediately turned its attention to the two humans.

"Master, we have to help Liu Shun!" Tang San said. "He was attacked in my place!"

"Out of the question, we have a bigger problem with the Romanti Snake." Grandmaster said. "We will have to work together to take care of the monster. Until then, Liu Shun will have to fend for himself."

* * *

 _On the place where Liu Shun and the Wind Spirit Wolf was fighting..._

Both wolf and child tumbled towards the ground, as Liu Shun managed to barely get himself up, just as the wolf was getting up.

"Goddamnit... A Wind Spirit Wolf... here!?" Liu Shun cursed, as he clutched his bruised chest, as the wolf was unable to attack him mid-flight.

The Wind Spirit Wolf only reared up, as it circled around, as Liu Shun did the same.

"Alright, Wind Spirit Wolf... He's fast... deadly... and quite strong..." Liu Shun said. "Until Master and Tang San come to rescue me, I need to survive."

Suddenly, the wolf immediately sprinted towards Liu Shun at a speed that he barely could react to, as it was almost a blur to his vision, as his sword managed to block against its claw strikes, as he was being knocked back.

"That's it... Keep on hitting my guard, and I'll hit you when you're open..." Liu Shun huffed. "All I need to do is just let you run out of stamina..."

He then waited for a opening in the claw strikes to bat the wolf away, as he then swung, causing the wolf to dodge in anticipation of the attack, before he threw a kick to force it back further, as he immediately returned to his guarding stance.

Both boy and Spirit Beast clashed against each other, as the wolf kept on trying to disembowel Liu Shun with its sharp claws, only to be parried at each blow by Liu Shun's blade, who actually seems to react well enough to block each swing of its paw with a counter-slash, as he forced it back to ensure it didn't get any advantage over him in position.

The battle was slowly wearing the boy down, as he was beginning to get sluggish in his blocks, as the claw strikes were getting closer and closer to his body, but the same went for the Wind Spirit Wolf, as it was getting to the point where Liu Shun could see him.

"Hhhh... Hhhh..." Liu Shun breathed heavily. "Curse you... Don't think just because I'm only a little mortal child that I won't beat you to survive!"

In response, the Wind Spirit Wolf made a desperate attack, as it leaped in the air, and opened its maw to bite off the boy's neck in a single blow, as Liu Shun was barely able to get his sword up to block the bite.

"Not going... to happen!" Liu Shun grunted.

However, before he could say more, the wolf then arched its hind legs around, as it stabbed both claws into Liu Shun's abdomen, causing the boy to haemorrhage blood from the same spot, and weakening him greatly, as he cried in intense pain, as he fell backwards, and swung the blade to flick the wolf off him.

He then clutched his stomach, as he tried to block the flow of blood, with one hand on the sword, and the other to cover the bloodstain that was growing.

"C-Crap... I should have prepared for that." Liu Shun coughed.

Liu Shun was then suddenly attacked by the wolf, who immediately knocked him down, and was snapping at Liu Shun's head to try and chew it off, as the boy was using the blade's edge to keep the wolf's jaws away from him, using both hands to keep the blade in the wolf's mouth.

The pressure of the wolf pinning him was only aggravating his wound, as it was bleeding more severely than before, making him weaker and weaker, as his vision was beginning to blur.

 _'Shit... I'm... I'm about to lose conscious... But I can't... If I do, I'll die... And I won't come back alive..._ ' Liu Shun thought, as he was struggling to keep the deadlock of attacks going. ' _I... I can't die... here... I refuse... I refuse to die, and let the tragedy happen once more! I WILL NOT DIE! I MUST LIVE TO SAVE EVERYONE!'_

With a final burst of strength, he managed to shove the wolf a bit further away, before he then used the hidden needle Tang San gave him, before he immediately thrust the entire length of the needle right into the wolf's head, skewering it right in its brain.

The wolf, having been instantly killed by the piercing blow in its head, immediately fell sideways, as red blood stained its white fur, as Liu Shun got up, clutching his wound with both hands, and biting his lip to use pain as adrenaline to keep him awake and alive.

He then noticed that the Spirit Ring of the wolf appeared, being a darker shade of yellow, confirming the wolf's death, as Liu Shun could barely muster the strength to smile.

"Fuck... yeah..." Liu Shun laughed weakly. "How's that for human power, wolfy? I guess I win this fight, and you're going to be exactly the first Spirit Ring I am looking for.

He then knelt down in a cross-legged lotus position, as he summoned the Great Sword of Elements, as the Spirit Ring floated towards the sword.

"This will take a while to get used to..." Liu Shun said as he clenched his abdomen to stem the bleeding as much as he could. "Without Spirit Ascension, I'll have to swap out Spirit Rings, and charge them up with natural Essence from defeated Spirit Beasts, if I'm going to be at the best of my abilities."

When the Spirit Ring reached the sword, it began to glow and pulse, as Liu Shun could feel a massive surge of energy going through his body, as he relaxed his body, to allow the energy of the Spirit Ring to seep in through every part of his body and Spirit.

He then began to feel massive pain, as he felt a thousand needles pricking through his torso, and many more through his own abdomen, as he was beginning to sweat, as he tried to focus the influx of energy into his veins, and try to absorb it in every single essence vein to lower the pressure he feels in the body.

 _'Just... A little more...!_ ' Liu Shun thought, as the pain was causing him to slowly faint.

Eventually the energy stabilised itself, as the Great Sword of Elements was no longer white and clear like it was before, but now it had a green hue, as the edges of the blades were a little more curved than before, and the hilt of the blade bore a single solid and shiny green gem on the centre of it.

"It's... done... Ha... In... your... face..." He huffed, before he then fell to the side, as the Spirit disappeared with a lack of Essence to keep it maintained in physical form.

As he was nearing the edge of his consciousness, he could see that the sunlight was pouring through the branches, and that he saw Tang San running towards him, as he looked a little different, but Liu Shun couldn't tell what, as his vision was blurring and he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

"...Shun! Liu Shun!" Tang San cried to the faint Liu Shun, as he could only hear it garbled.

And Liu Shun used what's left of his energy to smile, before he fell into a deep and dark slumber.

* * *

Trivia:

So here's a little detail about the ability that Liu Shun will have from his Spirit Ring:

First Ability: Razor Wind

Description: Fires off wave-like bursts of wind blades with each swing of the weapon, with power that can shred armour and weaken it, even capable of dealing major damage if undefended against.

Spirit Ring: 1st (452-Year Yellow Spirit Ring/ Wind Spirit-Wolf)

Added Attribute: Wind's Agility (Allows Liu Shun to increase his speed at a higher rate than that of any normal Spirit Master.)

Also, a little early explanation about a aspect of Liu Shun's powers. As stated in the chapter, Liu Shun is absolutely incapable of using Spirit Ascension to boost the quality of any of his Spirit Rings to a higher coloured rank or grade. In compensation, he has the ability to swap out Spirit Rings, despite the fact they are supposed to bind to a Spirit permanently when absorbed.

To further explain this, Liu Shun actually has to develop his ring, before he can use its full potential. Using a newly-absorbed ring will only allow him to use the weakest version of the abilities that are associated with the ring. In order to make them stronger, he would have to gain natural Essence, which is gained from absorbing weaker Spirit Rings and converting them into said type of Essence. Think of Natural Essence like a substitute for Skill Points, Upgrade Points or EXP, or any related type of point. As expected, if he were to take a new Spirit Ring entirely, he will have to start from fresh with that Spirit Ring, since it has 0 Natural Essence gained in it, and obviously, the higher the grade of the Spirit Ring, the more Natural Essence he will have to gain in order to max out the Spirit Ring's potential.


	5. Chapter 4

Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): To Relive Fate  
Chapter 4: The Genius Trio, Tang San, Xiao Wu and Liu Shun

* * *

 _In Notan Academy's medical ward..._

Liu Shun woke up to the sight of the white ceiling of the room, as his vision was a little blurry, after the exhaustion of absorbing the Spirit Ring. He blinked a few times in rapid succession, and his vision was much more clearer.

As he slowly got up, still a bit sluggish and slow from the injuries that he has received, he noticed that he was the only one who was in the ward currently, as all the beds were tidied up, as if they were not being used at all. With his condition, he could only rise up to place his back straight against the back-board of the bed, as he scanned the area carefully.

He then looked down at himself, as he could see his bare torso, which was wrapped with fresh white bandages over his abdomen area, where he was severely punctured at, and it felt quite soft and soothing against his own wound.

"Someone must have brought me here..." He muttered to himself, before he then recalled what happened before he fainted from his battle. "Ah right, Tang San... He must have found me, and carried me all the way here."

Liu Shun then smiled, as he shook his head gently in relief. "I guess he really cares about me." He stated in a pleased tone.

Soon, he heard footsteps, as he turned to face whoever was coming, as his expression was neutral.

A tall and slender woman with short black hair, who was dressed in a pink nurse's gown, and black fuzzy slippers, came into the room, as she was carrying a bowl of medicinal herb solution in her hands, a roll of bandage, and several balls of cotton wool. She had a caring and gentle expression on her face, as her blue eyes radiated kindness.

"Ah, you're awake, my dear student." The nurse spoke in a melodious tone, with a warm smile. "I'm happy that you're alright after I took care of you overnight at the medical ward."

She then came to Liu Shun, as she placed the bowl onto a table just beside him, and sat down on a nearby chair.

"I feel very unhappy, when you were in a dangerous situation like what happened to you yesterday..." The nurse spoke in a sympathetic tone, as her smile drooped a little, showing her pity about the boy's situation. "I hope that no-one else has to go through what you have."

"It's alright, Miss Nurse..." Liu Shun answered back in a grateful tone. "This is nothing compared to the pains that I have to go through, if I want to truly become one of the best Douluos in the land. But I am very thankful for what you have done for me."

"Really?" The nurse beamed, as she regained her joy from hearing that.

"Good children never tell lies, Miss." The young cultivator spoke in a sagely manner. "Why would I say anything else, after you have made me all better?"

"Thank you, Liu Shun. I am happy to hear your kind words." She answered back, before she then placed two of the cotton wool balls into the medicinal solution. "How do you feel today?"

"I feel a little sore in my body..." Liu Shun honestly answered the question. "But I don't feel any strong feeling of pain from shifting my body around, and I'm not all that uncomfortable sitting like this. I would say that I'm on the way to a quick recovery."

"You're a smart little boy." The nurse complimented back. "Now, I just need to take off your bandages. Do you want me to help you do it?"

"No need." The boy answered back, as he placed his hands on the bandage, and slowly wrapped it off his torso, as it has shown his wound, which has seemed to have healed up completely, except for a few scars where the deeper wounds were at, which surprised him greatly. "Woah, Miss Nurse, what did you do to help heal this wound so quickly?"

"Well, it's mostly because of a combination of my own Spirit and this." The black-haired lady responded, while holding up one of the soaked medicinal balls. "My Tool Spirit allows me to use bandages to help flesh wounds quite quickly, using pure spirit magic. But this herbal solution allows the flesh to heal and recover faster, and so by using them both, I can treat most of the physical wounds one would normally have, in no less than a few days. Now, just hold still, and let me apply the last spread of the medicine. Once it is done its job, you'll be free to go."

"Wow..." Liu Shun mumbled in astonishment, as he let the nurse do her job, as he did not fidget, nor did he wobble, instead standing still, as he let the cotton balls press against his stomach.

He felt a slightly tingling sensation when the herbal solution soaked into his skin, as it also gave him a refreshing feeling, before the nurse then finished her job, as she placed the cotton balls down.

"There we go, you're all well now." The nurse smiled. "If you want to leave, you'll be just as good as you would be in your normal day."

"Thank you, Miss Nurse." He replied back, as he was about to hug the nurse, before he realised that his abdomen hasn't been protected by bandages yet. "Oh, could you please put the bandages back into place?"

"Of course." The nurse said, before she then lifted up the bandage into her right hand, before it then floated in her hand, as her Spirit Mark on the upper arm lit up, being a green emblem of a herb. The bandage was then slowly encased by a light green aura, before it then fell down into her hand, as the aura was still on it.

She then immediately wrapped the bandage around Liu Shun's waist and abdomen, as she made sure to wrap around the entire affected area perfectly, but also in a way that wouldn't push against his wounds too deeply that it would hurt him.

As soon as Liu Shun has finished being treated, he immediately leaned to the side, and gave the nurse a gentle hug, as he smiled. "This is all I can give to Miss Nurse for her care." He told her in a friendly manner. "I will never forget what you have done."

She then blushed lightly, before she then chuckled in a happy manner and packed up her materials, turning to leave. Before she did actually leave, she gave Liu Shun a wave for goodbye, which the boy enthusiastically returned.

The young black-haired patient immediately slunk back down into his bed, as he gently rested his head on the pillow, as he just rested himself for a while, before another visitor came into the medical ward, probably to see him.

His next visitors was his own master, Grandmaster, and beside him, the Essence Level examiner, who was a elderly man with white hair, and a medium-length beard on his face, wearing a white robe with a purple shouldered cape around his back.

Liu Shun immediately slid himself back up, as the medicine has done its job, as it made it easier to do so than before. However, his expression was one of determination.

"Grandmaster..." Liu Shun spoke in a respectful tone, before he then cupped his hands together, and did as much of a bow he could without bending his abdomen. "Liu Shun greets Master."

The elderly man smiled at his filial piety, while Grandmaster remained stoic as ever.

"If you are expecting a apology from me, then I must disappoint you, Grandmaster." Liu Shun added, before he glared at him with fiery eyes. "I do not regret having to try and absorb a higher-levelled Spirit Ring in my currently injured state, because there would be few who would deny such an opportunity in my place. As someone who has yet to establish his power, any potential increases would be most welcome to such people. If there was fear in doing so, know that it is only the fear of death that would even faze me, not the suffering that it would bring forth on my body. Opportunities are meant to be taken, if you can possibly do so in the right manner, and that is what I, Liu Shun, have done, because even if I lack power to go through the process smoothly, I rather succeed in agony, than to fail in peace."

Both Grandmaster and the examiner seem to be impressed by Liu Shun's determination, and his way of life within those words.

"I need not an apology, my disciple." Grandmaster told his student, before he then sat down. "You have proven to have great potential, to have fought a Yellow Spirit-Ring beast by your lonesome, just like Tang San did, and for that, I am proud of you."

"And judging by his appearance, before I fell unconscious, he fared better than I did?" Liu Shun asked back.

"I have been knocked unconscious in the middle of his fight with the Romanti Snake, but he did tell me that he used his own Spirit and his hidden weapons to complete the job, as he made sure that not a single blow would land upon him." Grandmaster explained what he knew.

"Heh. Tang San always did prove to be a tough contender to get one over... I guess he's better in these kind of fights than I would have been." Liu Shun spoke in a impressed tone. "So I guess that the elder here is here to test my Essence Level?"

"Indeed. I have convinced him to make a exception of doing the test in the Essence Spirit Temple, because of your current condition." Grandmaster answered back. "Just because your body is harmed, it does not mean that your Essence has diminished. It would be the right time to test your Essence Level when you have recently gained your Spirit Ring."

"Hm..." Liu Shun hummed, before he then nodded. "Alright, then let's do it. I'm ready when you are, elder."

The elderly teacher immediately produced a large yellow crystal orb, which was much like the one that was used to test Essence Levels in Quinssence Town, and moved it for the boy to reach.

Liu Shun immediately placed his right hand on the orb, as he let his Essence flow through it, as it caused blue swirls of Essence energy to dance around the outer parts of the orb, as his right hand produced his Essence Armour, which was a curved crystal gauntlet plate that covered the knuckles and most of the hand's top, as it glittered with assorted colours, although the green colour was more stronger and opaque, signifying that his wind element was the strongest out of the current elements, since it was the only one he had.

The examiner looked at the orb with intrigued eyes, as he whipped out a clipboard with paper on it, as he etched the results of Liu Shun's examination onto it, before he then put it away, and withdrew the orb, as Liu Shun immediately cut off his flow of Essence energy, as the Essence Armour disappeared into thin air, and the boy was smiling as if he was blessed by something.

"So? How did the results go?" Grandmaster inquired both Liu Shun and the examiner.

"I'm sure that you'll be surprised if I were to tell you my results now." Liu Shun smirked. "There'll be a utter uproar if the results are to be known. And I bet Tang San's result is going to be possibly far more ridiculous than my own."

"I have to agree." The examiner replied. "By the looks of this one's eye, he must have been able to tell that his results are quite good. After all, only those who have reached a certain degree can even activate this. And to this degree... It is certain that his prediction will come true. Speaking of Tang San, I should head back to the Essence Spirit Temple. He could be waiting there."

"Then I'll return back to my office." Grandmaster said, as he stood up. "Liu Shun, remember that you must continuously improve. You will stagnate if you believe that there is such things as having enough power."

"There won't be." Liu Shun replied back fiercely. "Because as long as there is something I can push through, I will have no limits!"

Grandmaster smirked, before he left, as the examiner followed soon after, leaving Liu Shun alone to rest.

When he was about to take another rest, he suddenly heard shouting outside of his window, as he slowly got up, and walked to the window to see what was causing the commotion, before he was shocked at what he saw.

He saw on the main school terrace, which was overlooked by the windows on the higher floor of the main building, like the one Liu Shun was peering through, that there were two hordes of students, one to each side of the terrace. Judging by the appearances of either group, he could tell that this conflict was between the working students, and the other students. And he frowned when he saw that the majority of the older students were on the side of the noble.

He then looked over the groups, before he saw that Xiao Wu was standing in front of the group, as she was taunting the snobbish noble from that day at the cafeteria, although the blonde noble wore a smug expression and had his arms crossed.

"Little girl, you can still give up now." The noble mocked Xiao Wu and the group behind her.

"Wretch! You're scared, aren't you!?" Xiao Wu roared back.

"I heard your Essence Spirit is some sort of 'killer bunny'." The noble continued his mockery of the girl, before he chuckled. "You can be my pet, let me take good care of you. Hahaha!"

At that moment, Liu Shun felt two things. One was the feeling of rage of watching his new friend be compared to the likes of a submissive pet, which he could only barely swallow in his throat. But the other feeling was a sense of dread, as he felt that if neither Tang San nor he got down to resolve this matter, it could turn ugly for all parties involved.

As Liu Shun immediately scrambled for his shirt, he immediately prodded his abdomen wound gingerly to test if he was well enough to fight if needed be, as he steeled himself for any feeling of pain or agony that would come. Fortunately for him, his wound seemed to have healed enough that it was merely a weak-spot, not a debilitating handicap for himself.

 _Good._ Liu Shun thought to himself with relief. _As long as I don't get hit, I won't get hurt further. And I should be careful on trying to use my Spirit... I only recently got the Spirit Ring._

He then slipped his shirt on, as he immediately exited the medical ward, and rushed through the exit doors, to get beside Xiao Wu, as he saw Tang San knock aside the spiky-haired kid from their dorm, who was named Wang Sheng, as Liu Shun heard that name be called out by Tang San while he tried to stop the hot-headed child from doing anything stupid.

Meanwhile, where the blonde noble was, his blue-haired companion already had his staff out, as he was in a low stance ready to counter any rash attacks towards the noble.

"Tang San! Xiao Wu!" Liu Shun shouted, as he moved beside the two of them. "Is everyone here alright? No one's hurt?"

"Liu Shun!?" Xiao Wu gasped.

"But I thought you're injured!" Tang San responded back. "Why are you here? You can't be out here until you're excused."

"I was already excused by the nurse. This wound is nothing but a gash to be healed naturally!" Liu Shun answered the question. "But even if I'm still not fully recovered, I refuse to lie in bed while you're all in this!"

"Liu Shun..." Xiao Wu whispered, admiring Liu Shun's will to fight for his friends, and his determination to fight even if he was injured.

"Oh, how touching." The noble clapped in sarcasm, as his bodyguard immediately moved aside. "What can a weak swordsman like you do?"

"The likes of me is more than enough to deal with whatever rat-faced scum you'll pull up." Liu Shun retorted back coldly. "I don't need to be at peak health to beat you until your blood flows like a river on the ground, if I so wished."

"Heheh, you're going to make me bleed, I'm so scared!" The noble mocked in false fear. "I'll ask my father to convince the school to expel these barbaric and poor little savages."

Xiao Wu was outraged at such a action, while Liu Shun gritted his teeth, as he flicked his wrist, and summoned his newly-transformed weapon.

"But since I'm not interested in such a boring way to end your insolence." The noble spoke, as he flicked his baton side-to-side. "How about we play a game?"

"Hmph. What game!?" Xiao Wu growled back, as her eyes radiated hot anger.

"We each send one representative to duel." The noble declared the rules, as he smiled evilly. "The victor will be decided in one match. If you win, I'll call you 'Elder Sister'. But if you lose..."

The noble then pointed her baton at the infuriated Xiao Wu. "...You'll become my pet, with no bargains."

Xiao Wu was about to stomp onto the middle to face whoever the noble would elect, before Wang Sheng immediately moved in front of her, still clutching the cheek where Tang San hit him.

"Xiao Wu, don't be fooled!" Wang Sheng begged. "That guy won't play fair!"

"Move! I'm not scared!" Xiao Wu roared at the person in front of her.

Before she could move another step, and possibly shove or kick Wang Sheng out of her way, she was stopped by Tang San placing a hand on her shoulder, making her turn to face him, as Tang San's expression was calm and peaceful.

"Don't be rash." Tang San warned Xiao Wu with a light shake of her head.

"It's their fault! How could you ask me not to be rash!?" Xiao Wu spoke in a flustered tone, raising a shaking finger at the noble and his group.

"What I mean is that I'll take your place, Xiao Wu." Tang San smiled gently to assure the girl. "I'm also a part of the working students."

Before Xiao Wu could complain, Tang San spoke again. "Trust me, I'll handle this."

With those words, he walked forward, as Xiao Wu watched him move up to face the duel in her stead, as Liu Shun moved beside her.

"You should be happy that Tang Wu is fighting for your sake and the sake of everyone who was wronged, Xiao Wu." Liu Shun told her. "It's nice to have someone who would care for you."

"What's it to you!?" Xiao Wu snapped back.

"Nothing much. And I have my part to play in this." Liu Shun replied back casually, before he then raised his voice. "Tang San, please wait a moment."

Tang San stopped moving, as he turned back at Liu Shun. "Yes?"

"I have something to ask that noble in front of you." Liu Shun said, before he then walked forward slightly, far enough to allow space for the duel to begin. "Oi, noble."

"What is it, you blasted wretch?" The noble snubbed the boy before him.

"Let's make another bet, on top of your little game." Liu Shun spoke. "Dare to hear the terms?"

"Go on..." The noble asked, raising a eye-brow in intrigue.

"It's regarding your little rule." Liu Shun spoke in a whimsical tone. "Since you're so eager to prove that none of us could possibly face you in a one-on-one battle, then you won't be afraid to agree to this easily-won bet: The wager is that you and your group will not try to interfere with the duel in whatsoever any way possible. The result of the duel doesn't matter, only whether there is no interference."

Hearing those terms, the noble's group entered a uproar of laughter at Liu Shun's challenge, as the noble was the one who laughed the hardest at such a ridiculous proposal.

"What are you, a brainless fool?" The snobby boy asked back in a arrogant tone. "Why would I take that kind of bet, if I'm already going to win it?"

"Because of two reasons: One I am certain you won't fulfil the conditions, and two..." Liu Shun responded back. "...I have a much more stronger reward for your victory, if you actually do so."

He then lifted his sword. "Should you prove me wrong, my sword will be yours." Liu Shun answered back. "This sword itself has unlimited potential, and that power grows in the hand of someone who has great ambition. A worthy reward is it not? Because once I hand the sword over, I cannot use it, which means I lose my Spirit, and therefore, my right to be a Spirit Master."

Everyone gasped in shock at Liu Shun's risky bet, but the noble snorted derisively instead.

"Like I would want a sword I could easily replace..." The noble scoffed, before he wore a sadistic grin on his face. "But ruining your pride and breaking your hopes and dreams... Fitting to see you cry and beg for mercy when I render you with nothing. I accept your wager, lowly worm."

Liu Shun only smiled back smugly in response. "Then we shall see. Now, if you were to lose... You will do exactly as said: You will kowtow to the ground, kiss it once, and admit that you regret every insult you have made in your life here to everyone." He said. "Until then..."

He then took a few steps back, before he then plunged his weapon into the ground nearly down to the hilt, as he placed his right foot on one side of the hilt, pushing down on the side-handle.

"What is this?" The noble asked, as even he was confused by Liu Shun's action.

"Since you have accepted the wager, I have implemented a extra condition, to ensure that you won't try to weasel and lie about the fact that I have tried to interfere with the bet." Liu Shun spoke in a calm tone. "As long as the battle goes, my foot will stay on the hilt of the weapon. So I have now forfeited my only weapon, meaning I cannot even hope to interfere with the duel. Now... Will you do the same, as to allow the duel happen as it goes?"

The noble only nodded, as he chuckled evilly under his breath, waiting for the entertainment of watching the unworthy brats before him fail.

"Are you sure...?" Tang San asked, worried about what Liu Shun was doing.

"Go. Show them that underestimating the likes of you is asking for humiliation." Liu Shun beckoned Tang San to fight with a quick nudge and tilt of his head. "Don't worry, I know what I am doing. This bet is already decided from the moment it was set."

The noble was further confused by Liu Shun's cryptic sentence, but Tang San, after recalling what his friend has said, immediately understood the hidden meaning of the words, and smiled, as he walked onto the field.

"First Grade Student: Tang San." Tang San introduced himself formally, like a honoured warrior preparing for a decisive duel with another of his calibre, as he immediately summoned his River Grass. "Essence Spirit: River Grass."

The moment Tang San showed his Essence Spirit, the laughter returned, this time at Tang San, instead of Liu Shun, as the sword-wielding child was silent, but the smirk on his face remained as smug as ever.

 _That's right... Laugh... Laugh while you can. Because you'll be crying in shame and defeat when Tang San overcome the expectations._

"Ha! They sent a a Junk Spirit out! Are you kidding me?" The noble barked in mockery. "Look at our representative..."

A much older boy walked into the duelling spot, as his body was more refined and bulky than what is normal for his age, and he had very short black hair, with spiked hair marks on his cheek, and his eyebrows were quite thick, with his yellows eyes radiating a predatory yet bored look.

"T-That's! That's Xiao Chen Yu!" One of the students cried. "Reaching Spirit Master stage at only Sixth Grade! The infamous genius bully of the school! He's Level 11 Spirit Master!"

"We're doomed!" Another student from Xiao Yu's group cried.

Without a single word, Xiao Chen Yu immediately summoned his Spirit, as his hair grew into a wild mane, and dark-blue wolf ears popped above his head, and his hands grew sharp claws, as his grin showed his newly-gained fangs, as his eyes were crazed.

"Weed!" Xiao Chen Yu boomed with his gruff voice, enhanced by the wolfish nature he now has. "How do you want to die?"

Tang San did not respond back with words, instead letting his River Grass grow, as it expanded into several strands, as each of them immediately darted at Xiao Chen Yu, to wrap around his limbs and slow him down, even bind him to the ground if possible.

Xiao Chen Yu immediately slashed and clawed at the River Grass strands, as his smile didn't falter at all, while students from both sides were shocked to see a Junk Spirit display a Spirit Technique, like the one that Tang San used, Bind.

"Weak! Fitting for a Junk Spirit like you!" He taunted, as he cut a approaching River Grass strand in two.

Before he could move closer, he felt something tie onto his leg, as he looked back, and immediately was surprised to find that one of the strands appeared from his back, one of his blind spots, as it began the process of binding his leg completely.

 _It's over. Tang San has already won._ Liu Shun declared in his mind.

Xiao Chen Yu immediately looked at Tang San, who was prideful of the fact that his attack did land on his target, as the wolf-teen immediately felt rage, as he stomped forward, resisting the binding of the River Grass.

"You dare...!?" Xiao Chen Yu roared. "As if something like that can ever stop-"

As he spoke and moved, the River Grass strand that was on his leg attached its other end onto the dirt-filled grounds, as it immediately grew and duplicated, as more and more strands immediately were born, and assisted in locking Xiao Chen Yu's limbs.

"...me?" Xiao Chen Yu spoke in a unsure tone, as his momentum was gone, as he was unable to move, as the River Grass has already grown to the point where it was too powerful for him to break, despite his immense speed and strength earlier.

"My first Spirit Ring came from a 422-Year Romanti Snake." Tang San explained his newfound power, as the dark-yellow Spirit Ring appeared around his body. "And my River Grass evolved with it. You cannot break it, no matter how you may try."

"Im.. IMPOSSIBLE!" Xiao Chen Yu yelled in disbelief of the opponent's true power. "Even if it is a hundred-year Spirit Ring. At your age, what Essence level can you be!?"

"Heheh..." Tang San chuckled to himself. "Allow me to introduce myself again. "Tang San, First Grade working student. Essence Spirit: River Grass. Essence Level? **Level 13 Spirit Master**."

At that moment, everyone but Liu Shun were filled with jaw-dropping awe, as Xiao Chen Yu actually did so, while Liu Shun was actually smiling.

"Level 13? Impressive." Liu Shun answered back. "No wonder a mere Spirit Master like Xiao Chen Yu was overwhelmed."

"Still wanna fight?" Tang San asked his binded opponent, stepping closer to him. "Since I have the Spirit Ring of the Romanti Snake, my River Grass has its poison. And just so you know... I don't have it's antidote, so you better give up before it oozes out onto you."

"Wah! Don't! Don't poison me!" Xiao Chen Yu whimpered, as he immediately dispelled his Spirit, returning to his normal appearance, with fear on his face. "Let me go, please?"

As soon as Tang San heard that, he immediately dispelled the River Grass binding Xiao Chen Yu, as the bully ran away, with his tail between his legs metaphorically.

The noble was becoming increasingly incensed by the loss of the duel, as he immediately raised his baton.

"Everyone... Don't hold back!" The noble ordered his cronies to attack Tang San. "Charge!"

As the group approached him, Tang San remained silent, as he was frowning at the under-handed tactic. Liu Shun, however, was livid, as he immediately slid his foot off his sword.

"You RAT! I knew you were lying through your teeth!" Liu Shun screamed with rage, as he immediately shifted his foot under the cross-guard, as he used it to uproot the sword from its earthly resting place, as he caught the flying sword with his right hand. "Looks like I was right about you breaking your promise!"

Xiao Wu was just as angry, as she immediately activated her Spirit, as pink high-heeled shoes, with fluffy tufts of white fur on the back of her foot, appeared on her feet, and a crown with white long rabbit ears appeared on her head. She immediately jumped, as her long rabbit ears were blown back from the momentum of her leap.

"Who said Tang San is alone!?" Xiao Wu shouted, as a yellow Spirit Ring appeared around her body, as Tang San saw it and was immediately shocked.

 _She... She has a Hundred-Year Spirit Ring as Well!?_ Tang San thought.

"Actually, I'm glad you gave me a reason to fight..." Liu Shun spoke, as he raised his sword, as the yellow Spirit Ring of the Wind Spirit Wolf appeared around his body. "Because I'm itching to give my new Spirit Technique a go!"

 _L-Liu Shun as well!? Then that means... He actually managed to absorb the Spirit Ring before I got here to get him out!_ Tang San was surprised once again. _No wonder I somehow felt he was a bit stronger when I tried to get him onto the cart..._

Liu Shun immediately dashed forward at one group, as he was moving at speeds much faster than he would normally be, as he was almost on par with Xiao Chen Yu in terms of speed earlier, as Xiao Wu was demolishing the other, as she was slamming them into the ground with precise leaps, and double-legged stomps on the backs of the unfortunate attackers.

"Eat this! First Spirit Technique..." Liu Shun declared, as the Great Blade of Elements glowed green, as he moved it back. "...RAZOR WIND!"

He immediately swung his blade rapidly, as each full swing fired off a green wave projectile that shot forward onto the approaching companions of the noble, as they were sent flying back, most of them with their clothes torn where the waves hit them, and some with even worse clothing tears, as they were lucky that the attack was not yet powerful enough to actually cut skin and flesh on impact.

As soon as all of the ones who have tried to attack Tang San were either knocked out or unable to stand up from Xiao Wu's brutal attacks, Xiao Wu immediately leapt over the noble, who turned around with fear on his face, as Xiao Wu kicked him right on the back, sending him face-first into the ground, as she stands on his back.

"Still won't admit defeat?" Xiao Wu asked him.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Xiao Wu, Elder Sister! I submit!" The noble cried, as he tried to wiggle out of her hold. "From now on, you are everyone's Elder Sister Xiao Wu! I mean it! I MEAN IT!"

Liu Shun dispelled his sword, as he walked to the noble, with a satisfied expression.

"Now, remember that little wager we have made?" Liu Shun reminded him with a smile. "Kiss the ground, and declare that you will take back every insult you have made to us. Or I'll make you kiss the ground harder."

"AH! Alright! Alright!" The noble paled at the thought, as he gave a very frightened reply, as he puckered his lips and pressed it on the ground fully. "I admit it! I didn't mean what I said earlier! Please! Let me go!"

"Very well, I accept that on behalf of the working students." Liu Shun answered back, as he turned away, and walked to Tang San. "So, what did you think, Tang San? Surprised that I have a Spirit Ring as well?"

"Yes. I didn't know that you actually tried to absorb it while you were injured." Tang San responded back.

"Hmph! If I let this opportunity go to waste, injury or no injury, I would be a utter laughing stock to turn away my hard-earned gains like that!" Liu Shun huffed back, puffing his chest out in pride.

"Then... What's your Essence Level?" Tang San asked.

"Same as yours, Level 13 Spirit Master." Liu Shun answered the question with a wide grin. "I guess we're developing at the same rate here, with our Spirit Rings at almost the same age. Turns out that Wind Spirit Wolf is worth 452 years."

"Wow! That's actually impressive, Liu Shun. I didn't expect you to do as well as me." Tang San complimented Liu Shun. "It seems that you're stronger than you look on the appearance."

"Now, now, you know exactly what I am." Liu Shun wagged his finger, pointing another at his heart.

Tang San then turned to Xiao Wu. "Are you... really Xiao Wu?" Tang San asked with a curious tone.

"Of course!" Xiao Wu answered back, with a unimpressed look in her eyes. "Xiao Wu, First Grade working student, Level 13 One Ring Spirit Master. Essence Spirit: Soft-Boned Rabbit."

Tang San was impressed, as Xiao Wu gave him a knowing smile, as Liu Shun was joyous inside, because of the fact that they're now the only ones who are worth taking the title of being the school's strongest, with such monstrous power and skill.


	6. Chapter 5

Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): To Relive Fate  
Chapter 5: The Flow of Life's Time

* * *

Ever since the battle with the noble's group, the working students were finally free of the abuse and mistreatment that the offending students gave them, in promise of what they agreed upon on the battle. They all lived happy school lives, as some of them actually forgave those who once made them suffer, and even managed to befriend them, and make them amend for their past misdeeds.

For Tang San and Liu Shun, the twin students of the Grandmaster, things were not so simple for them. Having to balance between their social life with their extended training and study periods was no easy task, even for diligent and ever-growing prodigies like them, no matter how brilliant their abnormal learning speed was.

Not to mention that Tang San began to make his moves towards Xiao Wu, by using most of his free time to interact and chat with her. Xiao Wu, although a little bratty and haughty, did slowly manage to achieve friendship with Tang San, although she does have her limits with him. Especially the one time Tang San tried to rub her rabbit-ears, and got a high-powered suplex in return for his violation of privacy and indecent touching. From that moment on, Liu Shun immediately toned down his interactions with Xiao Wu, not wanting to go for a situation like this or far worse. Instead, he spent most of his time getting to know more about his old friend, learning things about Tang San that he never did before.

While Tang San used his mornings to train his Ethereal Vision, gazing into the horizons and sighting various different beings and objects to improve his usage of the skill, Liu Shun always woke up to use the nearby forest to warm himself up for the day, while practising the execution of his Razor Wind skill, only stopping when his internal Spirit reserves were exhausting, and allowing himself time to recover enough to train decently.

When the morning classes occured, Liu Shun and Tang San were always seen in the same classes, and sitting not too far from each other. Often, on one side of Tang San, there was Xiao Wu, who was doing her best to handle the classes in her bored state, and the other, Liu Shun, who was revising and practising his knowledge at every moment. After each class, Tang San and Liu Shun would often exchange pointers and notes, covering up what either of them have misunderstood or missed in the classes.

In the afternoon, Tang San and Liu Shun split up into their own training schedules, as Tang San wasted no time practising his blacksmithing, as well as developing and inventing new weapons that would benefit him in the future. Liu Shun, however, spent the afternoon doing practice spars and swordsmanship classes. With his eagerness to become stronger, he always managed to prove stronger than everyone in combat, slowly becoming more of a swordsman, rather than someone who only can swing a blade well.

* * *

 _In Notan Academy's swordsmanship class..._

Liu Shun's sparring opponent staggered backwards, before falling onto his bottom, as he seemed to be exhausted, before he saw Liu Shun point the edge of the wooden practice sword at his throat.

"Do you submit?" Liu Shun asked. "If you are too tired to speak, at least nod. I've already exhausted you by parrying each of your blows away. If I were on the offence, I would have hurt you worse. So just surrender, so that I can go and fight someone else."

The male opponent merely nods, before Liu Shun immediately lifted him onto his feet, by slotting his arms under the boy's shoulders. He then left without a word, although he did not seem to be angry about losing, instead relieved.

The instructor, who was a man with short black hair that formed small tufts around his entire head, clapped as he approached Liu Shun.

"Not bad, not bad. You're getting better at fighting with your sword." He complimented his student. "I'm impressed at how your parries were executed well enough to take opportunity against your opponent in his moment of vulnerability."

Liu Shun immediately clasped the wooden blade in both of his hands, before he then bowed.

"I am grateful for your words, Instructor Li." Liu Shun replied. "But I have far to go, before I can truly say that I am a swordsman worthy of graduating from your class. I am far from ready to take the graduating spar for now, yet I promise you that I will be ready when the right time comes."

Instructor Li only chuckles gently, barely audible over the cries and the sound of sparring in the surrounding area.

"Nonsense, Liu Shun." Instructor Li crossed his arms with a smile. "You are becoming the best student I have in the class, even better than most of the people that are in higher grades than you. I might actually have to ask for you to be my personal student for the time you'll be enrolled here. I promise that under me, you'll become a great swordsman in the future."

"I must humbly decline." Liu Shun responded back with respect, looking at Instructor Li with a serious look. "I have already sworn to be under the tutelage of another master, and I am very respectful of the creed that I only have one true master, until the moment he or I die."

"Is that so...? That's a shame." Instructor Li stated, with disappointment in his expression and voice. "Well, the offer to train with me still stands. You won't get much better for long fighting against people that you will most certainly will overtake in a short period of time, so I may as well get serious and teach you what true swordsmanship is like."

Liu Shun only smiled a little. "Then I will take you on that offer. When shall we begin, instructor?" He said, with barely hidden joy.

"You'll know when a certain message comes to your dorm door." The instructor answered the question, before he then clapped his hands loudly thrice, gaining the attention of the students. "Alright, kids, gather up, it's time for another stance exercise!"

Liu Shun was one of the first to gather at Instructor Li's side, as his smile grew wider.

* * *

In the evening, they went to a particular room at the top of Notan's Academy, in order to receive Grandmaster's special lessons, which seemed to be leagues above what they are supposed to know, although they did adapt and learn well enough to make it merely a minor struggle, rather than a annoying problem that would linger in their minds for a long time. Somehow, Tang San's performance only inspired him to do better, surprising Grandmaster at how his two students were quite competitive, especially for Liu Shun himself.

And at night, their final tasks were done seperately, with Tang San remaining at bed, and training his own Mystic Mind and Spirit control, while Liu Shun often snuck outside, to do another session of personal sword training in the forest, always returning to bed when it was time for all the students to sleep. Even in his dorm, he practised using his sword, although he did not use wild movements as he would in the forest, in fear of waking up the students that lived in the same dorm as him, especially Xiao Wu and Tang San, who would not be happy for his disturbances with different reasons.

However, one day, Instructor Li kept his promise, and left a note at the dorm door, that told him to meet him at night in the nearby field, promising that he will be granted permission to train a little past his bedtime, in order to accommodate the personal tutoring sessions. And from that day forth, Liu Shun immediately headed for the field after his lessons with Grandmaster were done, and spent his time with Instructor Li, until he was either too exhausted to continue, or it was time for him to return to his dorm.

Instructor Li did not hold back on his training as he did in his classes, often forcing Liu Shun to do a strenuous amount of warming-up and exercising, before he could even begin to practise against him. Liu Shun didn't mind the exercising and warming-up, as although his body was not going to get used to such massive amount of exercising soon, it would benefit him greatly over the years to have a physique fitting of his role, as a hard-hitting and enduring warrior.

Over sparring with his instructor in a serious sparring match, Liu Shun came to know the taste of defeat over and over again, as Instructor Li was far more capable and experienced with the blade than Liu Shun was in his young and fledgling state. He found every single of his parries being rendered pointless, as the parries, which were meant to create openings onto the opponent, turned against when Instructor Li managed to recover from the parry far faster than he could shift his posture back. And his careful slashes couldn't even dent his instructor's guard, as the experienced warrior did not even bother to parry, merely blocking, until Liu Shun himself exposed himself, and punishing that vulnerability with a well-aimed thrust to stagger the boy, and a few more slashes to severely beat what little stamina he would have from the battle.

And yet, Liu Shun always stood up, even at the brink of collapsing from the beating and the exhaustion that coursed through his body, as Instructor Li always complimented Liu Shun's tenacity, only ending the match when Liu Shun couldn't even stand up anymore, collapsed on the ground breathing the air in wide gulps, trying to soothe the external pain of the beating, and the internal pain of the strain and stress he put himself through.

The training did have its results though, as the tough training has hardened Liu Shun up, making him a lot more durable, to the point that the blows from Instructor Li became less and less painful, and his finesse and skill were rising, as he was making Instructor Li take the battle more seriously with each encounter, as his attacks were getting closer and closer to hitting his instructor directly, instead of lucky grazes and whiffs. When it came to defence, he adapted, and became faster in reacting to blocking and reflecting Instructor Li's strikes, although they still did manage to hit him, if only for less than what a direct hit would do to him.

Time passed, as Tang San and Liu Shun have matured in both body and mind, as they seemed to be happy with how their usual day went, save for a few special occasions, and soon enough it was finally one year after the battle that changed Notan Academy.

* * *

 _In Notan Academy's main field..._

Wooden blade clashed with wooden blade, as the owners, Liu Shun and Instructor Li were in a stalemate that neither of them were close to breaking apart from.

Liu Shun, being much more refined than he was in his first spars with Instructor Li personally, was actually making Instructor Li put effort into attacking back, as he swung any blow that was anything less with a simple swipe and strike of his blade, and his guard was tough enough to make it a hard effort for even Instructor Li to drill through with his refined strikes.

Instructor Li was becoming more and more proud of his student's growth, as it provided him with a means to vent out and relive his moments as a swordsman in a battle where all was staked, fighting against someone who could give me a actual challenge.

"BEHOLD!" Liu Shun roared, as he knocked Instructor Li's blade aside with a furious parry, before he then charged forth, with his blade by his side. "MY MIGHT!'

Instructor Li hesitated to recover, as he was surprised by how his student suddenly switched to his offensive, before he immediately put his guard up.

However, with what little time he had, the instructor could only attempt a partial block, that Liu Shun clashed against, as he pushed back against Liu Shun, who was putting his full effort on cutting through his guard and landing a direct blow.

As their weapons shook from the pressure and might that was being generated between them, Liu Shun was pushing him further, as his hands were gripping the blade so tightly the knuckles were white, and his teeth were grit in determination.

"TODAY, I WILL PROVE MYSELF WORTHY!" Liu Shun yelled with determination, as he immediately forced the blade down, as it caused Instructor Li's guard to slip ever so slightly.

But even that brief moment of vulnerability from breaking his instructor's guard gave Liu Shun the opportunity he was waiting for, as he immediately slashed down across Instructor Li, as wood clashed against flesh.

In surprise, Instructor Li staggered back a few feet, surprised that he was struck directly by Liu Shun, as the boy was standing still, with his blade still out, as he was breathing so lightly and faintly, that Instructor Li was worried he might have passed out standing and eyes wide open.

"Well done, Liu Shun. After all the long training you had..." Instructor Li said, as he jabbed his weapon into the ground, and clapping with both hands. "...It has bore fruit on you. Today, you have landed your first direct blow on me. If it were anyone else, they would be severely wounded at the very least from such a ferocious strike."

"I... hit you... directly? Finally?" Liu Shun breathed gently, barely audible to his instructor, as he sluggishly placed his sword by his side.

"Yes. You did." Instructor Li confirmed with a smile, nodding his head.

There was only silence from Liu Shun, before his expression turned from shock, into pure joy, as he lifted both of his hands, as he turned his head to the skies.

"YES! I FINALLY ACHIEVED MY FIRST STEPS INTO BECOMING A SWORDSMAN!" Liu Shun screamed with joy, as he cried tears of happiness from his eyes.

It was short-lived, as he immediately fell onto his back, as he rubbed his fore-head of the immense amount of sweat that gathered on his forehead.

"I've never felt so relieved when my muscles are screaming with pain..." Liu Shun huffed, as he laid on the ground still. "I'm sorry, Instructor Li, I really put everything on that single blow. I can't even bend my legs to stand up anymore..."

"It's fine. You've done quite well. Considering that older students have taken only just a little less time to do what you have done, I believe that you have a natural talent in swordsmanship. I can tell by how you wield your blade skilfully, and be able to predict the blows before they come from the enemy's posture and mindset. That is one part of mental fighting, being able to predict your enemies' movements." Instructor Li replied back.

"But it's not enough." Liu Shun sighed. "A good fighter must be experienced to battle against all possible types of weaponry, and all types of spirits. I have been able to fight well blade against blade, and I am grateful of that fact, but it won't be long before I will leave this academy behind, in order to follow after my own ambition."

Instructor Li only bowed his head in silence. "And I am aware of that. It would be quite sorrowful to watch you move on to the world outside, but nursing you would only stagnate your growth." He said.

"And I'm sad that I haven't found a way to repay you." Liu Shun responded back with sadness. "Tell me what you want, and I'll see to it in the future that I fulfil that promise."

"If you really want to ask, the only thing to satisfy me, is that you do your best to become the greatest swordsman there is. I don't ask you to achieve it, but I want you to keep on aspiring to reach that title." Instructor Li answered back with a shake of his head. "That is all I ever want you to do for me."

Liu Shun remained silent, before he then smiled.

"Alright then. In return for what you have done for me, I won't just become a great swordsman, but I will become one that will be at the level of a god." Liu Shun smirked. "I swear that."

* * *

 _On the way to Quintessence Village..._

Tang San, Xiao Wu and Liu Shun were walking beside each other, as they were making their way to Tang San's home village, as Xiao Wu seemed to be a little tired and grouchy from all the walking, while Tang San and Liu Shun kept walking, without any signs of fatigue.

"Xiao San... How much further?" Xiao Wu asked in a half-moan.

"Just a little further." Tang San answered back with a smile. "Just past this plain, and we'll be there. And don't be disappointed when we get there. My house is poor, there won't be much to entertain you."

"You've been saving your allowance... We'll have plenty to do with that, right?" Xiao Wu teased with her tongue out.

"Well, it would, but don't forget a certain someone owes six silvers to Tang San." Liu Shun retorted back with a sly smile.

"So petty! I helped Tang San pick a gift for his father!" Xiao Wu pouted. "What did you do?"

"Nothing. I'm still thinking of a gift to give Tang San's father, but I don't have any debts at least."

Tang San chuckled gently at the exchange between his two companions.

After a while, they continued along the path, as they walked through the same forest that Liu Shun found himself in at the start of his life as a mortal.

"Xiao San, anything to eat? I'm hungry. I want a carrot..." Xiao Wu asked Tang San.

"Ok." Tang San answered back, as he pulled a carrot of the storage belt he always wore, before then pulling out a letter from another slot gem.

While Xiao Wu was nibbling gently on the carrot, she saw Tang San read the letter. "What's that paper you're reading?"

"The letter Father left for me..." Tang San responded back without looking away from the letter.

"It must be something regarding about his father, and wishes to Tang San to do his best." Liu Shun suggested. "Then again, I'm not him, so I can't be truly sure."

Tang San placed the letter back into the belt, after having finished reading it.

After a while, they arrived at the gate of Quintessence Village, although there was no welcoming party, as most of the residents there were just doing their typical daily routines, as they walked towards the smithy where Tang San lived in.

"The smithy just there is my home..." Tang San stated, as he pointed at the house. "It is not much, but I'm satisfied living in it."

"Xiao San, the door's open!" Xiao Wu quickly said, as she noticed the smithy's door being open. "Someone's there!"

For a moment, Tang San's face was filled with surprise and anticipation, as he immediately dashed towards the open door, pushing it open.

"Father!" Tang San cried, as his expression seemed to be filled with hope.

However, the person inside the house, was not Tang Wu, but instead the village elder, who was wearing a smock, a sanitary mask, and had a feather-duster in one of his hands, and a cloth in the other. The elderly man turned to Tang San, as Liu Shun and Xiao Wu came in as well.

"Ah! Xiao San! You're back!" The elder smiled, as he places his cleaning equipment down on a table. "I guessed that you were coming back, so I'm cleaning up this place for you!"

Tang San visibly deflated, as he lowered his head in disappointment.

"Elder... My father..." Tang San said in a melancholic tone.

"...hasn't been back." The elder finished the sentence, before he scoffed. "That lazy man... Why all the sudden he wanted to go out of the village all the sudden? It doesn't seem to sit right with me."

Tang San gritted his teeth, as the elder walked towards Xiao Wu.

"Oh, is this your girlfriend? So cute!" The elder teased Tang San with giddy eyes.

"Why do I feel that you're like a carrot?" Xiao Wu asked, leaning closer to the elder with curious eyes.

"Haha! Because my Essence Spirit is a carrot!" The elder chuckled, before he summoned the Spirit carrot into his hands.

Liu Shun immediately resisted the urge to face-palm at the elder's stupid decision, as Xiao Wu's eyes suddenly adopted a more hungry look, as her own Essence Spirit summoned itself in instinct, as the bunny ears appeared on top of her head.

"I like you!" Xiao Wu exclaimed. "Because my Essence Spirit is a rabbit!"

The elder immediately turned pale upon hearing that the person before him had a Spirit that eats carrots as their favourites, meaning that she might cause problems for him.

"X-Xiao San! I'll go get some food for you guys, especially some carrots for your friend..." The elder immediately bolted out of the room, before he noticed Liu Shun being silent and still for the entire time, and addressing him. "Oh, hello, Liu Shun. I'll be sure to get some for you as well."

"Food..." Xiao Wu muttered to herself, before she turned to Tang San who was quiet all the sudden.

"Xiao Wu... Would you come with me somewhere?" Tang San asked stoically.

Xiao Wu nodded, as Liu Shun was about to say something, before he then closed his mouth.

"Aren't you coming, Liu Shun?" Tang San asked, turning to his other friend.

Liu Shun merely shook his head. "There is a reason you must have specifically asked for Xiao Wu to come with you. It must be something personal between the two of you. It is best I am left out of it until you are ready to tell me."

Tang San merely nodded his head in understanding. "Ok, I'll be back soon." He said, before he left, with Xiao Wu behind him.

As soon as Tang San was far enough, Liu Shun merely took a seat on the table, as he leaned back with a smile.

"I'm not strong enough... If I were strong enough, I would have been able to take down that werewolf myself..." Liu Shun bemoaned, as he placed his arms behind his head. "And the purpose of my reliving is to find a way to prevent that tragedy from occurring again. The tragedy... that took away everything I could ever care for... My friends, my home and my power to make things right..."

Liu Shun then laughed bitterly, as he sat back up, sighing again.

"How ironic that I, the Fate God, is the only hope to make things right, and that I lack any of my powers to even the weakest degree." He continued. "I guess that if there is going to be a new future paved for Tang San and the others, I must learn to fight like a mortal, and think like one as well. I don't care if I have to traverse hell and back without help, I must succeed, I MUST!"

Liu Shun then summoned his Great Blade of Elements, as he looked at it.

"Only just the wind element..." Liu Shun told himself. "A good start, but it's only a Yellow Spirit Ring at the best. If I'm going to be able to make things easier for at least within the mainland, I need at least the primary four Elements, and all of them should be at least Purple-grade."

He then slowly rested himself, as he let the weeks of fatigue that he has accumulated slowly over the entire school year fade away, in a state of deep meditation, crossing his legs on the table, with his weapon resting on his lap

After a while, he came back to the real world, opening his eyes, and getting up, just in time for Xiao Wu and Tang San to return, as they seemed to be quite happy.

"I see that you have finished having your little moment together, hm?" Liu Shun asked with a smile.

"We did. Xiao Wu agreed to be my little sister." Tang San nodded, speaking in a satisfied tone.

Liu Shun raises his eyebrows in awe, before he then clapped his hands.

"Congratulations, both of you. I'm sure that this bond between you won't easily be broken, and will benefit the both of you over time!" Liu Shun cheered them both, before he then got off the table. "But... Tang San, I've been thinking for a while, and I have some words with you. Would you mind me taking you somewhere as well?"

"Of course." Tang San said. "Lead the way, my friend."

"You flatter me, Tang San. You really do." Liu Shun smirked, before he then walked out with Tang San following him.

* * *

 _At Tang San's training ground..._

Both of the boys arrive at the training in no time at all, with their enhanced physical capabilities from their training and abilities. As they stepped into the small clearing in the forest, Liu Shun then turned around.

"Tang San... I would like to tell you just one thing before I tell you what is in my mind." Liu Shun said, before he then bowed his head slightly. "I want to thank you for treating me like a true friend, even though you have come to barely know me about a year ago. I am deeply grateful that a careful person like you would trust me so greatly after I have done little for you, other than to swear a blood oath to help you and protect your secret."

Liu Shun then lifted his head up.

"You could have just merely treated me with respect, just like an ally, but not a close friend." Liu Shun continued. "There is nothing about me that makes me worthy of your friendship, other than my own talent being on par with yours. I haven't proven to be quite compatible in terms of personality with you, so it can't be that either. So why, Tang San? Why did you seek to share a friendship with me?"

Tang San remained silent, before he then chuckled slightly.

"Actually, Liu Shun, it was because of your devotion to helping me, that made it worth it for you to become my friend." Tang San said. "Not that alone, but because you remind me of someone in my past."

"What?" Liu Shun asked in surprise, as Tang San shook his head slightly.

"I don't remember much of my past life, other than the techniques I have been practising ever since I was strong enough to use them. But I do remember a few things, one of them being several of my closest friends." Tang San said. "Your attitude and appearance reminds me of a friend who stuck by me from the day we became disciples of the Tang Sect, to our last living moments. He was quite loyal and protective towards his friends, and he never stopped striving to improve, so that he could be able to protect all that he cared for from anyone who would dare try to do so. His last living moments were a tragedy that I could not forget, as he brought me time to leave, as he fought against most of the entirety of the Tang Sect on his lonesome, taking out almost half of the sect's outer and inner disciples with his utter determination to fight to the end, and will to protect me, his closest friend. I remember being told that he died standing and fighting to the last moment, his last words concerning my safety. Perhaps my befriending of you is my atonement for leaving him to die alone, even though he did so for my sake. So this time, I will stand by you, as it will be like the friendship I had in my past life, except it will not end in the deaths of the both of us!"

Liu Shun was heavily touched by Tang San's words, before he then bowed his head, as he fought back trying to cry and sob, biting his lip and scrunching his face. However, it did nothing against the unending and strong flow of emotion, as he let out streams of tears, and weeped loudly, before he then rushed at Tang San, and hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder.

Tang San let out a few tears as well, as he patted Liu Shun's shoulder to comfort him.

"Thank you... THANK YOU!" Liu Shun blubbered. "I promise that we will stick together even beyond the very end, and that we will live to see the bright future we will create together!"

After a while, the sobbing and crying piped down, as Liu Shun immediately let go of Tang San, before summoning the Great Blade of Elements in his hand.

"I wanted to ask if you're going to be my sworn brother in blood..." Liu Shun sniffed a little, trying to remove what was left of his tears and snot, as he smiled. "But I guess that is not a question anymore, now that we're already brothers in a sense, right?'

"Yes. I would have accepted." Tang San said, before he took the blade."After all, if I'm going to resurrect the Tang Sect, I'm going to need to start with a brother that would help me in the future? Even Xiao Wu is going to be a lot of help for it in the future."

He then scraped his palm with the point of the blade, deep enough to draw blood to pool on it, as Liu Shun did the same without any hesitation. They then clasped each other's hands together, as their blood mixed with each other.

"Let this be a sign of the eternal bond that will be made between us." Liu Shun intoned. "The union between mortals, striving to become gods. For we shall be brothers now, until the day that we either ascend to godhood, or die in failure, knowing we have done our best."

Tang San only smiled, as he gripped Liu Shun's hand tighter, as they stared at each other for a moment.

* * *

 _Five years later, at Soto City..._

In the city, where the streets were bustling, a clever and experienced shopkeeper was doing his daily rounds, as he was making a large earning from selling his important products to aspiring Spirit Masters, and wealthy civilians. However, today, he noticed something he did not usually see, which was a trio of young Spirit Master approaching his shop.

"Finally, Soto City!" The only girl in the group chimed joyfully, as she was dressed in a pink vest dress with a white fluffy pom-pom on the centre of the collar, pink sleeves that covered up to half-way up the back-arm from the forearm, with fluffy white bracelets over them. She also had pink eyes that were lined with thin black eye-liner on the edges, and her feet were covered by pink soft boots with fluffy white tops.

"Yeah..." The first boy answered back with a calm smile, as he was dressed in a black coat, with a short and wide blue vest over it. He also had blue finger-less gloves with a large white square on the back of them, and his pants were blue baggy shorts with two white stripes on either side, as well as the top having a propped collar above the waist. He also wore black boots that were white at the toe-point, and had zippers on the front. He also had a wide belt decked with purple ellipse gems.

"Come on, brother! Don't tell me you're not pumped!" The other boy said, as he was wearing a large black-and-red coat with a white propped collar, without any sleeves. His forearms were covered by long silver gauntlets, and his hands had brown leather finger-less gloves. He also wore long black jeans, and on his feet were short boots that were tied together by laces. "You can't deny that a country person like you wouldn't be surprised by their first visit into the city!"

"So many academies want us, why did Master make us come to this unranked academy!?" The girl asked in outrage.

"You're the one who insisted on following, so stop complaining!" The boy in black and blue retorted back.

"Besides, Master wouldn't do anything bad for us! It must be a hidden treasure of a academy, sister!" The other boy added.

"But you're my brother!" The girl shouted back, before then pouting. "Forget it, come shopping with me! Console my fragile heart!"

"Fragile heart? Inside that tough and unbeatable body of the Elder Sister of Notan Academy?" The black-and-red body joked. "Hahaha..."

"HMPH!" The girl snorted back, before they arrived at the shop together, as the blue-and-black boy was examining the stock the shop had.

"I would like to buy this. How much will it be?" The boy asked, pointing at a stack of packages on the left side of the shop.

"It's for this price, mister." The shopkeeper answered back, pointing at the price tag of the package.

"Too expensive!" The black-and-red boy cried, as he leaned forward with an outraged expression. "You trying to rip us off? Even though this is better than the ones made in the other towns, but this price does not fit the enormous rise in price! If you're expecting me to fork over a massive amount of our purses for that small thing!"

"How about I buy two instead, and you give me one free?" The other boy suggested politely. "Haha, just agree, you won't like it when my sister's angry."

"Miss, Misters, please..." The shopkeeper fumbled, as he was trying to stay calm when he is being counter-haggled by one person, and complained about by the other.

"I'm Xiao Wu!" The girl said, as she clung to the black-coated boy's side with a gleeful expression.

"I'm her brother, Tang San!" The blue-and-black boy added.

"And I am Tang San's sworn brother, Liu Shun!" The black-and-red boy said, pointing at himself with a wild grin and a thumb jerked back at himself.


	7. Chapter 6

Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): To Relive Fate  
Chapter 6: Dai Mubai and Shrek Academy

* * *

At Soto City, Xiao Wu was walking along the streets with a happy expression, as there was a stick of candied haws in her mouth, as she was nibbling gently on it like a rabbit, as Tang San was carrying some packagaes in his hands, as he was walking carefully to avoid dropping the stack, as he was transferring the items he was collected into his Moon of the 24th bridge storage belt. Liu Shun was holding a large mess of shopping items in his hand, as he was forced to arch his torso back, in order to keep the items balanced on him, as Tang San was doing his best to lessen Liu Shun's share, by taking some of the item from the clump as well, to store in the belt.

"Hee, so delicious~" Xiao Wu hummed gently, as she enjoyed the taste of the candied haws in her mouth.

"Xiao Wu, let's take a break. Please." Tang San begged, as he was trying to use his increased agility to get rid of as many of the boxes in his hands and Liu Shun's load, before it would grow again from Xiao Wu's spending spree. "Liu Shun is beginning to look like he's carrying a metal plate on his chest for his test of bravery by having one slam a hammer on it when he lies on the ground!"

"No. I'm fine, Tang San." Liu Shun strained to reply, as he was unable to speak properly with the massive weight he was carrying that was crushing the wind out of his body, although he was unhurt otherwise. "This is nothing compared to what I trained with before in the last 5 years... I'm far more stronger than I was after we left Nolan Academy. Simple tests of strength like this are laughable against someone with a excellent physique like mine!"

"This is also delicious! Try it!" Xiao Wu said, as she placed a few boxes on food in Tang San's hands.

"Waa! This skirt is so nice! And what a pretty hat!" The peppy girl continued, as she then bought a skirt and a hat, both in seperate boxes, as she placed them on Liu Shun, who was let out grunts as the boxes was placed on his carrying pile.

Tang San could only give Xiao San a annoyed expression, as he took the moment his hands were empty, and Xiao San's focus on Liu Shun, to take a few bites off his own stick of candied haws, before he then smiled as he liked the taste like Xiao San did, and noticing a shop which caught his interest

"This shop..." Xiao San muttered under his breath, as he stared at the front door silently.

Suddenly, he was interrupted by Xiao Wu breezing past him, as she placed another load of items onto Liu Shun, who was about to fall over from how far back he was leaning his body, as Tang San immediately panicked, and went as quickly as possible to lighten Liu Shun's load to a point where he was not in any risk of injuring himself from the strenuous weight of the combined items.

"Xiao San, pay up~" Xiao Wu cooed, as she gave Tang San a little chuckle, as Tang San nodded while keeping to his task of assisting Liu Shun in a dire moment. "You're the best!"

Tang San then went up to the counter where Tang San bought the batch of items, as he discussed with the shopkeeper about the price, as Xiao Wu took a look where Tang San was looking before, as she was curious.

"What are you looking at? I'll pay it for you." Xiao Wu asked Tang Wu, who just finished finalising his payment to the shopkeeper, with a grateful bow for respect to the elder man, as she then latched him by the back of his collar, as she dragged him in. "It's the thought that counts!"

Tang San was glaring at Xiao Wu with a unimpressed expression, as Liu Shun came in, before he then set the items he was carrying on the ground nearby, away from the open door.

The shop seemed to be filled with vintage items, ranging from the standard decorations, to weapons, to even manuals on Spirit Cultivation.

The shopkeeper, who was sitting in a large chair, that was facing away from them, acknowledged them with a wave of his hand, as he spoke. "Feel free to look around. Leave the money if there's anything you like."

"Hmph. What a arrogant shopkeeper!" Xiao Wu pouted unhappily, before she then rubbed her hands against one of the vases nearby. "Xiao San, do you feel Spirit Energy ripples?"

"Yeah, I think this shops sells Essence Tools." Tang San said, as Xiao Wu was still inspecting the vase, as Liu Shun picked up a sword from one of the weapon racks around the store, as he examined it very carefully and slowly, as he tilted to have a look at it from all angles, before giving it a few light swings, and shaking his head, disappointed about something, returning the sword back to where it came from.

"All of these!?" Xiao San asked back in surprise.

"No idea, I'll have to test them with Spirit Energy to know." Tang San replied, as he walked around more aisles in the shop, looking for something. "Essence Tools without a owner will leak Spirit Energy. Master told me that the production method of Essence Tools are long lost. They're more like antiques instead of actual Essence Tools."

"Aw… But I only like new stuff…" Xiao Wu groaned with disappointment, as she knocked her fist a few times against one of the skulls that she found in the shop, as each knock produced a hollow clonking sound, as expected from a hollowed-out skull.

Tang San then immediately went still, as his eyes were upon a large amber-coloured crystal that seemed to be of shoddy craftmanship, as the faces were dull and unpolished, and there were chips and rough edges plenty on it, as well as some visible cracks.

"Such a poor quality crystal. Let's leave already!" Xiao San huffed, as she was not impressed by the looks of the crystal.

However, Tang San only turned to the shopkeeper. "Hey, how much for this?" Tang San asked calmly.

"It's cheap. Only a hundred gold." The shopkeeper immediately replied in a dull and uninterested tone.

"This trash!? That's daylight robbery!" Xiao Wu roared, outraged at the high price.

"It's fine." Tang San told Xiao Wu, before turning towards the shopkeeper again, as he produced a bag of coins with the payment inside. "I'll take it."

There was a moment of silence, before the shopkeeper put out a arm, with two fingers up. "It's two hundred gold now." He replied again.

"What! How could you just-!?" Tang Wu was about to say, before Liu Shun immediately cut her off with a raised hand in front of her.

"Elder Sister Xiao Wu, the shopkeeper is actually testing Tang San here." Liu Shun told her sternly. "Tang San is proving that he is aware of the true value of the item that he is requesting for. Whatever price could be stated for the crystal, it cannon compare to the real value of the crystal to someone like Tang San."

"If you're decided. Then two hundred gold it is!" Tang Wu said with a determined tone, as he slid some more coins into the pouch of coins he's paying with.

The shopkeeper remained silent again, before he then immediately stood up, and then walked into the light, revealing himself as a man with long black wavy hair, as well as glasses and a well-trimmed beard, wearing a beige robe with a black coat vertical from his shoulders.

"No. It's five hundred gold." He spoke, before raising a finger at the crystal in Tang San's hand. "This thing is invaluable to certain people. Pay up if you want it so badly."

"Dishonest trader." Xiao Wu pouted, turning her face away from the trader.

Tang San merely smiled, as he placed the crystal back into the box it came from. "Forget it. I don't have that much money." He said with a humble tone, before he pocketed the coin pouch back in his storage belt, which shocked the shopkeeper, who saw the belt, as the trio turned to leave.

"Wait!" The shopkeeper shouted. "Where did you get that belt?"

"Our master gave it to me." Tang San replied back with a curious tone.

"Unfortunately, our master preferred to remain anonymous." Liu Shun added. "He refused to even let his nickname leave our minds. So we apologise if you're curious about who the master is."

The shopkeeper bowed his head slightly, before he turned around and sat back down on the chair. "You can have the crystal." He said with a defeated tone. "It's nothing expensive anyway. I was merely exaggerating its value."

"I heard that! No regretting it!" Xiao Wu replied, as she walked over, and took the crystal.

"Elder Sister Xiao Wu, must you just take someone's things with such a tone?" Liu Shun asked with a sigh.

"He said it was a gift!" Xiao Wu replied, before he then dragged Tang San and Liu Shun by their collars. "Let's go before he changes his mind again!"

"Thanks. Here." Tang San stated, as he threw the coin pouch at the shopkeeper, who caught it quite skilfully, before they were outside, and Liu Shun shut the shop's door.

The elderly man was left looking at the coin pouch, with a satisfied smile.

"Hmm… He got two good apprentices, huh. Both of them were smart enough to discern the true value of that crystal, and the first one was the one who looked like he had the most use for it." The shopkeeper smirked. "This could be interesting."

Outside the shop, Xiao Wu seemed to be quite happy, as she was humming joyfully.

"A free gift~ Who knew that shopkeeper was so easy to persuade by Tang San?" She chuckled.

Liu Shun only placed a hand on his face, as he sighed deeply at how immature Xiao Wu is for her actual age.

"I did pay actually." Tang San responded back, as Xiao Wu suddenly stopped smiling, turning to him with a confused look. "He did say that it was about 200 gold before he saw the belt, so I assumed that the price he actually set."

"What? You actually paid for this!?" Xiao Wu screeched, before she growled, as she pulled at Tang San's arm with a pout. "Idiot!"

"You'll see why I needed this..." Tang San responded back calmly, as he was unaffected by Xiao Wu's tugging.

Liu Shun then noticed a large hotel door nearby, as it was shaped as a arched doorway under a large pink rose flower on the ground.

"Tang San, Xiao Wu..." Liu Shun said, before pointing to the hotel door. "Let's stay here for tonight? It looks quite nice and friendly."

Tang San took a long look, before he then nodded. "Okay." Tang San answered back with a sigh.

"Hehe, you like it too, don't you~?" Xiao Wu teased with a grin.

"No way." Tang San shook his head firmly to display his disagreement.

"What did you say?" Xiao Wu asked back.

"Nothing!" Tang San shouted, as he barged into the room with Liu Shun and Xiao Wu following after him.

They then met a mature woman with short black hair tied up under a hairband at the reception desk of the hotel, as she greeted them with a smile and bow. "Welcome, accommodations?" She asked them politely.

"Three rooms please." Xiao Wu answered back.

"Sorry, we only have one vacant room left." The receptionist replied back.

"Ah... Only one room..." Xiao Wu grumbled with a unhappy expression.

"Don't worry, our rooms are big and can fit many people." The receptionist answered back warmly.

Tang San paled a little when he realised what this could lead to, as he immediately moved over to whisper to Xiao Wu. "Let's go somewhere else... There might be a place with more vacancies." He softly said.

"Alright! Pay up, Tang San!" Xiao Wu shouted, turning to him, as Tang San immediately cried in utter pain, as if he was pierced through the heart.

Tang San then reluctantly walked up to the counter, as he looked at Liu Shun, who was doing his best to hide the fear that would have been on his face, about how he would have to be in a room with both his blood-brother, and his soon-to-be wife. After seeing Liu Shun's attempt to try and look calm, Tang San sniffled, as he mentally prepared himself for the hell that was going to be their night in the hotel, as he handed the bag of coins over as payment.

' _Time to teach her about gender differences..._ ' Tang San made a mental reminder in his own head.

"Thank you. Here is your key." The receptionist said, as she showed a key which had a pink diamond on the head of it. "Please follow me to your room."

"Thank you very much, kind miss-" Liu Shun was about to say, as he moved over to take the key."

"Hold on, isn't that my room?" Another voice rang, from a young blonde male with hetero-chromatic eyes, his left blue and his right golden, who was dressed in a white coat with a thick black strip down from the collar to the waist and golden chevrons on the forearms of the sleeves, black gloves with a white circle on the back of the hands, black jeans and boots. Around his arms were two girls dressed in a short vest and short skirt, both identical in hair-style, as one had grass-green hair, and the other had brown hair. He had a prideful smirk on his face, as he looked at the receptionist with a playful look.

"Hey mister, we came first." Tang San responded back.

"So what?" The newcomer asked with arrogance.

"So it's ours!" Xiao Wu shouted, as she glared at him, as he returned the glare with his own.

Liu Shun only watched by the side, as he recognised who the person was.

' _Dai Mubai... The Evil Eye White Tiger... Or the War God back in the era I came from..._ ' He thought to himself. ' _Who would have thought that their first encounter would be a confrontation over such a petty matter...? I wonder how their first impressions went._ '

Soon the manager of the hotel, who heard of the commotion, came out with a irritated expression on his face. "What is going on here-?" He asked, before he then noticed the group in front of him, especially the two people in the stare-off.

"This room has been specially reserved for young Master Dai." The receptionist filled her superior on the situation at hand, before she bowed deeply in apology. "Sorry, manager."

"Oh my..." The manager muttered, before he then chuckled nervously, as he tried to smile, getting in between the two of them to speak with Dai Mubai. "Haha... I'll get a room right now, young Master. There's no need to worry. Dear customer, can you...?"

Xiao Wu merely let out a loud 'Hmph!', as she glared at the manager, while Dai Mubai breathed deeply. "No, I want this room in particular." He answered back.

The manager was shocked, as he immediately backpedalled away from them, as Xiao Wu looked back at Dai Mubai.

"No way! Why should we!" Xiao Wu shouted, as she lifted her pinky finger up as a sign of scorn towards the blonde-haired youngster. "Don't think bullies can push us around!"

"Are you sure about that?" Dai Mubai responded back, as his smile disappeared in a instant, and he placed his arms off the girls by his side, walking towards Xiao Wu.

"Young Master... P-Please..." The manager tried to mediate the situation.

"Shut up! I'll pay for the damages later!" Dai Mubai yelled back, as he throttled forward, the manager immediately sprinting behind the reception desk, along with the female receptionist.

"Come, brat!" Xiao Wu mocked, as she prepared to utilise her Spirit here. "Your mom won't recognise you when I'm done!"

"Girls shouldn't talk like that." Tang San, as he leapt past Xiao Wu, towards Dai Mubai. "I'll take him."

Liu Shun immediately rushed to Xiao Wu's side, just as the two combatants clashed with each other, their forearms smashing against the other's, as their Spirit Rings flashed from around them, as Dai Mubai had two yellow Spirit Rings, and one purple, while Tang San had two yellow Spirit Rings.

' _It's an uneven match...! Even for someone as crafty as Tang San... Winning against Dai Mubai with this kind of power would be a uphill battle at best...!_ ' Liu Shun grimaced, before he then noticed that Tang San is matching Dai Mubai blow-by-blow. ' _But for now... Things should be fine for now._ '

Tang San and Dai Mubai separated from each other, as Tang San manages to regain his footing with a single step, as Dai Mubai uses his own heel to halt his sliding. Liu Shun then noticed that Dai Mubai's hair turned completely white, save for a clump that was black, as there was a golden mark of three downwards chevrons linked by a thick line down the centre and his hands had golden claws on the tips of the finger.

"Not bad, kid." Dai Mubai complimented Tang San, who merely readjusted his posture for another round, before he then introduced himself. "Dai Mu Bai, Essence Spirit: White Tiger. Level 37 Spirit Expert, at your service."

The manager looks at the broken ground and walls of the hotel lobby, as he began to curse fate for what is happening. "My hotel..." He sniffled.

"Young Master's gaze is so mysterious..." The receptionist, who managed to peek her head out to have a look.

"That's because he's a freak." Xiao Wu responded back. "His eyes are of a different colour. And look at his left eye..."

She then looked closely at the left blue eye, which had a tiger's head mark on it.

"Tang San is doing well so far..." Liu Shun added. "Dai Mubai is merely testing Tang San for now. But if he uses his third Spirit Ring, the purple one, Tang San will most certainly lose, even if he leaves a Spirit Ring unused to counter it."

"Tang San, Essence Spirit: River Grass. Level 29 Great Spirit Master." Tang San responded back, in respect of Dai Mubai's introduction, as hundreds of River Grass strands began to materialise around him. "Please."

"River Grass?" Dai Mubai asked back. "How interesting! Take this!"

Dai Mubai's right hand then glowed, as it temporarily turned into a golden beast claw, using it to slash down at Tang San. Tang San's response was to quickly weave a barrier with most of the River Grass he had, as the attack tore some strands into small pieces from the initial blow.

"Pretty tough, aren't you?" Dai Mubai asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You too." Tang San answered back, before he then immediately used his first Spirit Ring, as the River Grass immediately loosened and shot towards Dai Mubai, before then binding his arms to his body with a snap. However, with a short roar, Dai Mubai immediately snapped the River Grass strands apart, before cutting the rest of them down.

"Haha... Tang San, what an interesting technique you got there." Dai Mubai chuckled. "But Beast Spirits are stronger than Tool Spirits, so your River Grass can't hope to defeat me."

"Not necessarily." Tang San said, before activating his other Spirit Ring. "I have one more trick up my sleeve."

Suddenly, from various points of Dai Mubai's body, River Grass plants began to appear, as they grew quickly, before they bound his arms again, this time with a more thicker concentration of strands.

"Hm?" Dai Mubai said, as he tried to move his arms. "The roots... They have pierced through the skin. It's as if they implanted themselves in me. I can't move at all!"

"My second Soul Ring is from a 600 year-old Ghost Vine. River Grass now has increased toxicity, but it also releases seeds as it attacks someone. Once it has spent enough time absorbing nutrients from a host's body, the seeds will grow, as you have seen." Tang San explained. "So, not only you are bound, but because the plants are directly rooted into you, the poison is already seeping your ability to fight."

"Huh... I was careless..." Dai Mubai sighed with a satisfied grin, before his right eye then began to glow with the same Spirit Mark as his other eye. "But with the power from my 1000-year Spirit Ring, your poison can't harm me for half an hour, far more enough time to finish you off, now that you have used up your Spirit Rings."

Suddenly, his eyes glowed brightly, before a golden light appeared on his chest, as it materialised into a large golden collar with large pauldrons on both shoulders, as well as golden arrow-heads and chevrons on the top of his chest. He easily broke free of his new bindings, as the River Grass were vaporised with his newfound power.

"You... are no match for me." Dai Mubai shook his head. "Now, how should I-?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Liu Shun immediately materialised his Spirit weapon, as he immediately rammed Dai Mubai away, surprising the Beast Spirit user, as he was knocked back enough to give Tang San some distance.

"Who!?" Dai Mubai growled, before he then saw Liu Shun standing in front of Tang San, with his Great Blade of Elements out, in it's wind element form.

Liu Shun merely remained silent, as he had his sword at the ready, as Tang San was surprised that Liu Shun would suddenly intervene in the battle.

"What are you doing? I said I could handle it myself!" Tang San yelled at his sworn brother. "You don't need to interfere, I would have been able to hold out and end this fight at a draw!"

"Not while you're outclassed, Tang San." Liu Shun answered back. "You may be a good attacker, but your Spirit isn't meant for direct combat. It's meant to be a means of disrupting enemies and weakening them for a easy victory for the others. Right now, you can't do anything against him with how high his defence has went after summoning that thing. What is needed now, is someone who specialises in smashing through such defences. And to do that, you need someone who has got something at the same level."

"But-!" Tang San shouted, before he is hushed by a hand gesture from Liu Shun.

"That actually managed to knock me back. And here I thought that my Essence Armour would have stopped such an attack." Dai Mubai mused, as he was intrigued by Liu Shun's strength in that single blow. "Who are you? Are you a friend to the person before me?"

"Indeed I am." Liu Shun said, before he then flared out his energy, displaying his Spirit Rings, as there was one purple, and one yellow. "I am Liu Shun, my Essence Spirit is not for someone like you to know, Level 28 Great Spirit Master. I am Tang San's blood brother, and I will not stand by to let you bully him any further. If you want a fight with that purple Spirit Ring of yours, then take someone at the same level as you. I will be happy to fight in the stead of Tang San, now that he has finished his fight."

"Let's do this!" Xiao Wu exclaimed, as she once again prepared to activate her spirit, before she then got a synchronised 'No!' from both Tang San and Liu Shun.

"I'll finish this fight off." Liu Shun answered back. "Tang San started this fight, and couldn't finish it, so I'll be a good brother and help him at a dire time like this. I didn't expect him to suddenly activate his purple Spirit Ring, so I had to do something before things got worse."

"So you charged in recklessly, just because you believed that your 'brother' was in danger?" Dai Mubai asked with a mocking tone.

"...So what?" Liu Shun retorted back. "Tang San's vines will be a itch compared to what this blade will do to you. And I dare you to try me. Or are you going to end this fight? I won't back down, so you better be ready to fight me as well, if you try to continue."

Dai Mubai looked Liu Shun right in the eyes, noting the determined look in his eyes, before the spirit-user sighed, and dispelled his Spirit, as everything on him turned back to normal, as he yawned a little, covering his mouth.

"Forget it. I have no interest in playing with 12 year-olds like this." Dai Mubai responded back. "I'm still impressed though, so I'll let you have this one."

"What!? Don't look down on us!" Xiao Wu shouted with outrage.

"Anyway, there's only one reason talented kids like you come to Soto City." Dai Mubai continued, ignoring Xiao Wu's comment. "And all of these kids are around 12 years-old."

"Heh. So what is it?" Tang San asked with a smirk.

"The entrance exam for Shrek Academy." Dai Mubai said, as he immediately held the two adoring girls beside him again, as he turned around to leave. "If you have trouble at the academy, just use my name, Evil-Eyed Tiger Dai Mubai."

He then left, as Tang San and Liu Shun dispelled their Spirit Rings, Liu Shun letting out a sigh of relief, and Tang San smiling, remembering Dai Mubai for later.

"Now that the conflict is over..." The receptionist answered back. "Dear customers, I'll bring you to your room now."

The trio then followed after the receptionist, as the manager could only sigh in relief, as the damage was quite little compared to what he had imagined before, although the repair work needed is still significant.

"Why didn't you two let me fight...?" Xiao Wu asked with a disappointed expression.

"After he used the White Tiger Diamond form, even the three of us could lose against him. Liu Shun and me alone, or you and me alone? Not a chance at all." Tang San answered back with a frown.

"So you just let him bully us?" Xiao Wu pouted.

"I won't let him do that. If he insisted on continuing the fight, and Liu Shun was to be beaten here, I have 70% confidence that I can take him down with me." Tang San answered back with a serious expression. "And I know how to do so without any other risks."

Liu Shun was a little shocked to hear how Tang San was willing to risk his own life to win such a hopeless fight, as he was relieved in his heart that Dai Mubai was not interested in fighting them to the point of defeat, whether his words played a factor in doing so, or Dai Mubai intended to throw the fight after Tang San impressed him before.

After they have walked down the corridors of the hotel for a while, they stopped near a door which had a heart sign on the front of the door, as the receptionist slotted the key into the doorknob, and pushed the unlocked door open. It showed a room that seemed to be built for a romantic couple, as most of the furniture in the room are in any shade of pink, the sofas had pink heart cushions on them, and there was a bowl of pink roses with purple leaves on the table. The only light source was the chandelier on top of the room, and the only bed in the room was a queen-sized bed which had a thick blanket.

"This is your room, the Red Sea." The receptionist said with a bow and a smile. "Please call me if you need anything."

She then left, as Xiao Wu ran into the room with glittering eyes, as she was stunned by the beauty of the room.

"Wow~! So grand!" She exclaimed with a exciting tone. "It's so beautiful! No wonder Dai Mubai was so reluctant to give it up!"

Tang San merely remained silent, before he pulled out the crystal that he had brought from the store, as his eyes flared up with spirit to become even stronger, after what he had done.

"What's the matter, Tang San?" Liu Shun asked, as he noticed the look on Tang San's face. "Did the fight bother you in any way?"

"...Sort of." Tang San answered back, after delaying the response for a while. "I never thought that I would fight someone as strong as him in this city. And he seemed like that there are people who are even more experienced and stronger than him. I need more power, to become stronger, so that I won't be in a losing fight as it was before. I need a 1000 year Spirit Ring of my own."

"That's true. But I think you should stick to practising your abilities before you try going for one though." Liu Shun responded with a solemn nod. "In all honesty, I wanted to see how I would do against someone who had a 1000 year-old Spirit Ring like myself. I haven't got much time to use it, ever since the journey we made was quite uneventful. I don't know what else to say, but this: Don't push yourself too far, or you might end up doing more harm than good."

"I'll keep that in mind." Tang San replied back. "Say... About that purple Spirit Ring you have... Did you actually earn it from slaying the beast-"

"Brother!" Xiao Wu shouted, as she tackle-hugged Tang San's arm. "There's only one bed. Let's sleep together!"

Tang San looked at Xiao Wu with a expression filled with awkwardness, as Liu Shun merely pinched the bridge of his nose, as he knew that this wasn't going to be a nice experience for his blood-brother.

"Xiao Wu... Do you know anything about gender differences?" Tang San questioned his sworn sister.

"Nope! I want to sleep with you! Come on!" Xiao Wu said, before turning to Liu Shun. "You too, Liu Shun!"

"No thanks, I'll just sleep on the couch. The bed won't fit the three of us comfortably anyway." Liu Shun refused gently, before then stretching his arms and yawning, and looking out of the window, noticing that the sun was going down. "I'm tired from that long journey we had to get to the city, as well as carrying all that stuff for Xiao Wu... I'll take a nap, and then I'll close the lights for you two."

"Liu Shun, you-!" Tang San growled, as he felt betrayed by his blood brother. "I'll pay you back for this!"

Liu Shun merely plopped himself back-first onto the couch, as he almost immediately fell asleep, after scooting a pillow under his head to rest his head on.

"Xiao San~ Let's sleep together..." Xiao Wu teased, as she pulled Tang San towards the bed, without letting go of him with a tight hug.

"Noooo!" Tang San cried out, as he was dragged to sleep with Xiao Wu, as she held him like a teddy-bear beside him.

* * *

 _The next day..._

The trio made their way towards the place where the trials for admission into Shrek Academy where, as Tang San was merely whistling, looking away from Liu Shun, who was glaring murderously at him, as his face had a swollen heel-print on his face, while Xiao Wu was looking for the place from afar, as she was on Tang San's back.

"Geez, 'brother'. That's REALLY the way you treat your relative." Liu Shun spoke with great sarcasm. "Having your sister wake me up with a kick to the face."

"Well, you weren't waking up." Tang San answered back with a devious smile. "So I had her use the best method of waking someone up, like she does back in Notan Academy."

"Except that she kicked me hard enough to crater the wall! Don't forget that you have to pay up as well!" Liu Shun shouted. "I was expecting that you would get me back, but I underestimated how far you would go. Don't do that again, I may be more sturdy than the both of you, but that kick HURTS!"

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry." Tang San halfheartedly apologised. "Is that enough?"

"Hah..." Liu Shun sighed. "The things that I have to deal with..."

"Where is Shrek Academy?" Xiao Wu asked, interrupting the conversation between the two male spirit-users.

"The address is quite vague. But I heard that people are gathering up towards the south, where there is supposed to be a village, which should be where the sign-ups for the trials are."

"So far... So tired..." Xiao Wu grumbled.

"Are you in a position to say that?" Tang San asked with a sweat-drop.

"I'm saying it in your stead~" Xiao Wu giggled, as Tang San sighed.

"Deal with it. You should try to temper your own body like me." Liu Shun added. "After all, Xiao Wu isn't that heavy, isn't she?"

Xiao Wu booted the side of Liu Shun's torso when she heard that, as the black-haired boy let out a cry of pain.

"Alright! I'm just trying to tell Tang San that he shouldn't be complaining!" Liu Shun hurriedly said. "I'm sorry, Elder Sister Xiao Wu, please forgive me!"

"I accept your apology, but don't think I'll let you go that easily next time!" Xiao Wu spoke, with her chest out as a sign of pride, and let out a 'hmph!'.

"Look! A village!" Liu Shun shouted, immediately moving the topic elsewhere, as he pointed to the image of a village just in the distance.

"No way, such a small village?" Xiao Wu asked curiously. "Did Master make a mistake?"

"This should be it." Tang San answered back. "Let's keep going for a while. I'll put you down to walk when we're at the entrance of the village."

They soon walked inside the village, as they navigated through the alleys and streets of the village, until they reached a massive line-up of people, mostly adults with their children, as there was a wooden stand with a green symbol of a horned ogre's head surrounded in a circle on it.

"See?" Tang San said. "I told you that this should be the place."

"Huh... That's a lot of people here." Liu Shun commented, as he examined the small crowd in front of him. "And yet... It looks like that things wouldn't be that easy."

"What!? Failed!?" A person in front of the crowd roared, attracting the attention of the three young experts. "My son's performance was outstanding at his previous academy!"

The trio then pushed through the crowd, as they made sure to excuse themselves for each person they moved aside, before they were close enough to get a close look at the scene, as a man with his own child was complaining loudly, before he then walked in front and slammed his fist on the table.

"Don't think you can get away with this!" The man roared. "Give us our refund, you liar!"

"I've told you. Application fee is 10 gold. No refunds if you fail." Another voice, as it came from the person who was in the stall, as they weren't in view of any of them, due to the bulky structure of the man blocking their sight of them, although they could tell from the mature and deep voice that the person was definitely a man past his 50s in age. "Next!"

"No way! 10 gold is daylight robbery!" The man retorted, as he rushed forward.

"That's right. It's too expensive!" Another person in the crowd yelled as well.

The man in the stall sighed, before he then cleared his throat. "Mubai. Handle it." He said.

"Sure." Dai Mubai came out from behind the stall, as all three of them saw him, as he immediately conjured his Spirit Rings. "If you want a refund. Defeat me yourself, and you'll get a full refund."

The man immediately backed away, as he had a expression of fear on his face.

"I will repeat our school values." The examiner said. "Shrek is a monster that is deemed weird even by Spirit Beast standards. So the academy it is based on, is a academy only for monsters. Remember this! We will only accept people who are akin to monsters in both power and potential. No ordinary person can even dream for such an honour."

"There are 4 tests in our entrance exam." Dai Mubai continued. "Those whose age is above 13 years, or have a Spirit Rank less than Level 21 need not apply."

"As if there will be anyone." The man growled.

Liu Shun and Tang San looked at each other, as Liu Shun had something to say.

"Shrek... I once heard of a tale regarding that one monster..." Liu Shun said. "I once heard that he was a sentient Horned Ogre variant, who is very protective of its territory. Anyone who dared to trespass it would be subject to a fate that would be gruesome even to the standards of other Spirit Beasts. Not only that, but it is very dangerous to go against, because of its stupidly high regeneration means that simple Spirit-users can't hope to even escape it. And that's why there's a legend that none are to trespass the swamp it lives in, and that it annihilated a entire army battalion of spirit-users who were too arrogant for their own good. The only safe thing to assume of it, is that it is non-hostile to those who do it and the territory it owns no harm."

"Is that so? Where did you learn all of this from?" Tang San asked back.

"Let's just say... I have had enough time to gather up a lot of myths to study upon." Liu Shun explained vaguely, avoiding exposing his true identity as a descended god. "Come on, we fit those criteria. Let's have a go."

Tang San nodded, before he then called out. "We'll apply!"

Xiao Wu and Liu Shun followed after him, as the man moved aside, while Tang San produced the bag of money. They soon got a clear look at the examiner, who was a man with grey hair that had a shade of yellow in it, a spiked moustache and a short goatee, a black suit with the symbol of the academy he represents on the right side of his collar.

"Gramps, here's our application fee. A total of 30 gold for the three of us." Tang San said, as he placed the gold down on the table.

The examiner then collected the bag, while Liu Shun turned his eyes to Dai Mubai, who gave Tang San a thumbs-up and a smile, which the latter noticed, before turning to Liu Shun, and giving him a smirk. Liu Shun returned the smirk with his own.

' _You'll see what I can do soon enough, Dai Mubai... Don't expect me to disappoint you..._ ' Liu Shun thought boldly.

The examiner then put out both of his hands. "Ok, give me your hands then." He instructed them.

Xiao Wu and Tang San were the first ones to do so, as a golden glow surrounded their hands when they clasped with the examiner's, as the examiner was silent for a moment, as he examined their age through a spirit technique that scanned the very bones.

"You are of sufficient age." The examiner told Xiao Wu, who nodded, before he then turned to Tang San with a intrigued expression. "Are you practising some spirit technique with your hands?"

"Yes." Tang San briefly answered back.

"Then I'll ask for your leg." The examiner stated, before turning to Liu Shun, who watched the process silently. "You there, it's your turn. Your hand, like your friend."

"Of course. Here." Liu Shun responded back, as he clasped the examiner's hand, while Tang San's lifted leg was held in the other, as the same glows appeared, although Liu Shun felt a strange presence that ran down and back across his arm.

' _A strange feeling..._ ' Liu Shun thought about the feeling of the spirit technique flowing through his arm. ' _It feels so invasive, yet so... comforting and relaxing at the same time..._ '

"It's useless to just be of age. It's all about the-" The man was about to say, before the trio then summoned their Spirit Rings, as the examiner was especially surprised by Tang San and Liu Shun.

"Oh my, even River Grass can be trained so quickly?" The examiner said with raised eyebrows. "And one of you have already got a 1000 year-old Spirit Ring?"

"We both have trained hard and well to achieve such results." Liu Shun responded back with a graceful bow. "You said that you accepted monsters. As someone who has achieved a 1000 year-old Spirit Ring, and my brother, who achieved two Spirit Rings with River Grass, would that not be enough proof that we are at the standing of monsters, sir?"

"Alright, you little monsters." The examiner chuckled, as he jerked his thumb back. "You can proceed to the next test."

"Thank you gramps!" Xiao Wu thanked the examiner, before she then passed by him, as the other two did the same.

"It's okay, son... We'll find another..." The man tried to comfort his son, by hugging him tightly.

The trio made their way through the pathway, as Dai Mubai appeared beside them.

"The second test is a test of Spirit power." Dai Mubai tipped them off. "But you guys are more than capable, so we'll just greet them, and then leave for the next two tests."

No-one spoke in response, but Liu Shun glanced at Dai Mubai briefly, before continuing along.

Suddenly, from above them, there was the sound of something fast zooming across the sky, as it caused them to all turn around, and see what it was. It was a large purple Spirit Mark that flew towards a particular place.

"What's that? Spirit technique? Circus?" Xiao Wu wildly guessed.

"Looks like a Spirit Mark." Tang San noticed.

"I say the same." Liu Shun answered back. "And this Spirit Mark... It doesn't look like it's from a Beast Spirit. I'd say it's either a Tool Spirit variant."

"This is 'Spirit Mark Release'." Dai Mubai explained to them.

"I've heard Master talk about it. But it's the first time seeing one." Tang San commented. "If you imbue your mark with enough spirit power, you can release it outside your body. It only lasts for a short amount of time. And there's no practical use for it. You can use it as a performance, I guess."

"It's heading over there!" Xiao Wu cried, as she chased the Spirit Mark, as Liu Shun followed shortly after.

"Yes, but there's another way to use it..." Dai Mubai sighed. "Come over and take a look."

When they all arrived, there was varying reactions to what they have seen, as Liu Shun's eye twitched in annoyance, Xiao Wu was genuinely surprised, and Tang San was calm as ever.

They saw that the very same Spirit Mark in the sky, being placed on a long banner above a box, with something covered by a tarp on top of it. And beside the box was a man whose face was covered with white hair, save for his nose and mouth, dressed in a grey tunic with white sleeves, blue jeans, and a white apron.

"Don't miss it! Oscar's food sale! Cheap and good!" The man hollered with a strangely young voice. "It'll guarantee a pass on the test!"

"Are you... kidding me?" Liu Shun hissed. "A Spirit Mark, used for such typical matters? This is just..."

"What do you have?" A male entrant asked the shopkeeper with a fearful look on his face.

"Today's special...! Oscar Brand Smelly Tofu!" The man declared, as he snapped the tarp off the top of the box, revealing a neat stack of yellow smelly tofu blocks. "Absolutely tasty! One for only 5 copper! The more it stinks, the better it tastes! Try one!"

The boy immediately dry-heaved at the pungent smell, before he then ran away. "This, this 'aroma'! I can't stand it!" He gagged.

"Don't go! How about 4 copper a piece?" The man tried to say, before the boy left the area. The man then became depressed, as he drew circles on the ground, heart-broken about how he didn't succeed. "It didn't sell again..."

"Uncle, are you selling these corns?" Tang San asked, pointing to the bundle of corns near the box as well.

The man didn't respond, as he slowly got up. "Uncle?" Tang San, unaware of the fact that his words are insulting the person.

"Who's-Who's an uncle!?" The man roared, as he flipped the box with such might, that it flipped several times in the air, as the smelly tofu blocks flew all around, as one of them landed on the head of Liu Shun, who was too surprised by the reaction to noticed it, and Xiao Wu dodged every single one that came for her, holding her nose with disgust at the smell of them all around her. "I'm only fourteen!"

"What!? Fourteen?" Xiao Wu spoke with a stifled tone, with her nose clamped by her own hand.

"That's right! I'm Oscar, a student at Shrek Academy!" Oscar introduced himself furiously, as he pointed to himself. "Don't think I'm old just because I have a little more hair!"

"With that beard, we should call you Gramps." Tang San answered back.

"I'm still a young handsome boy!" Oscar shouted with outrage, lifting his arms.

"Say that after you shave." Dai Mubai scolded him, with a whack on the head, causing Oscar to stick his tongue out comically, before he was grabbed by the head. "Little Os, you're a disgrace! I've warned you before not to sell your smelly tofu in the academy."

"Why not! Don't look down on food types!" Oscar argued back.

"Food type?" Liu Shun asked back.

"Show him." Dai Mubai huffed, crossing his arms.

"Boss Dai, it's private..." Oscar said, adopting a timid expression and pressing the tips of his fingers together.

"NOW! Don't be such a woman!" Dai Mubai fumed, as his face turned slightly red in anger.

"Don't shout, I'll do it." Oscar said, before he then danced his fingers through the air. "Cute~ Fragrant~..."

He then moved his hand over, as a block of tofu appeared in his hands, as his expression was one of bliss. "Tender Tofu!"

"Acting cute while looking like that. Disgusting!" Xiao Wu complained with a expression of disgust on her face.

"This smell..." Tang San muffled, as he covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve. "It's not fragrant at all..."

"Food types have to chant different spirit chants for the food to take effect. It's not like I want to do it..." Oscar sighed.

"What's with that pose?" Xiao Wu asked, noting the small twinkling of his fingers as he did his spirit chant.

"Oh! Specific poses increase the speed of making the food." Oscar explained briefly.

"Master talked about it before." Tang San said, as he was still avoiding the smell of the smelly tofu. "If one uses their own special pose and chant... It can increase the gathering speed of spirit power. This technique is especially essential for low level Spirit Masters. I'm practising it myself. You can try it as well, Xiao Wu."

"Oh?" Xiao Wu, as she pondered about what pose to use as her unique pose and chant to summon her Beast Spirit.

"By the way, Liu Shun... Why aren't you disgusted by the smell of the smelly tofu? And there's a block on your head." Tang San told Liu Shun.

"Oh? Is there?" Liu Shun responded, as he plucked the tofu from his head. "I might need to wash my hair before I do the exam... As for your question, I have smelt worse."

"Let's not get all serious... Here, have some tofu?" Oscar offered, as he carried a tray of smelly tofu in his hands.

Tang San shook his head, trying not to show disgust, while Xiao Wu just shouted. "Eat it yourself!".

Liu Shun, however, merely took the block that was on his head, and popped it into his mouth, and chewed it for a while, before swallowing it. After a moment of silence, he walked towards Oscar.

"Tofu's not bad. It is helpful though, since I did feel that it helped replenish a bit of my spirit power." He criticised Oscar's smelly tofu. "But the taste... It's far too bland. Perhaps you should try to find some way to alter the taste, or add some extra spices to make it at least likeable?"

Oscar was shocked that Liu Shun was actually eating his smelly tofu, that he didn't notice Dai Mubai smacking the plate from underneath, causing it to fly into the air.

"Are you trying to gas all the new students to death!? Or are you looking for a beating!?" Dai Mubai roared, his patience already wearing thin after Oscar's antics. "Let me warn you, Tang San is my friend, and I have interest in Liu Shun! Don't you dare bother either of them!"

"Okay, okay, I'll sell my corn then." Oscar answered back, backing away.

"No!" Dai Mubai shouted. "I don't trust anything you make for them!"

"What!? I didn't make the corn, I bought them!" Oscar argued.

"I don't care!" Dai Mubai said. "No is NO!"

As they bickered, Tang San and Xiao Wu looked at Liu Shun with amazed eyes, as if he was being strange.

"What? Someone had to say it." Liu Shun said, before he then noticed that there was someone walking past them, as it was a young lady with long flowing black hair, a red and white dress with black full-arm sleeves and a short skirt, long white opaque stockings, and black shoes. He then noticed that there was several blocks of smelly tofu falling towards her. "Miss, look out-!"

However, before his warning could be heard, the woman immediately phased before the tofu could fall on her, as if she was a mere shadow, reappearing near Dai Mubai and Oscar, as the zooming sound caught their attention. She then brushed off her suit, before then continuing along her way.

"Phew... She's hot." Dai Mubai admitted.

"Isn't she?" Oscar asked.

"She's... She's all right- Ow!" Tang San commented, before she then yelped in pain, as Xiao Wu stomped his foot hard enough to hurt him. "Xiao Wu, why are you stepping on me?"

Xiao Wu merely scoffed, as she turned away from Tang San with a unhappy expression.

"Let's not dwell on it further. We still got the other two tests to deal with. If she becomes a student, we'll have all the time to get to know her." Liu Shun suggested.

Tang San and Xiao Wu agreed, as Xiao Wu's expression brightened up a little, as they made their way to the next area, where the remaining entrants were.

Dai Mubai then made his way to the examiner, who was leaning against the chair, a man with a blue shirt, black jeans with white cuffs, and a wool cap on his head. "Let them through. I can vouch for them that they are eligible to immediately move onto the fourth test." He told the examiner.

"Oh, got it. I can allow that." The examiner nodded slowly.

"Okay." Dai Mubai said, before turning to the trio. "Come with me now."

"What's this? Special privileges during examinations?" A boy in the line complained.

Liu Shun gave the boy a glare, before he then walked up to one of the testing orbs, as it glowed brightly in a silver colour, as the base form of the Great Blade of Elements appeared in it, as the number '28' appeared on top of it. "Liu Shun, Level 28 Great Spirit Master."

"Haha, see that?" The examiner suddenly turned lively, as he pointed at the boy who complained. "Whoever's spirit power is above Level 25 can also head to the fourth test."

The boy became dejected, as Liu Shun gave him a smirk that displayed his smugness at how he humbled the boy.

' _Brat... Think twice before you got presuming someone. I wonder how much you have trained compared to me..._ ' Liu Shun thought with a hint of pride.

Tang San and Xiao Wu came as well, as their results were as expected, as Xiao Wu was of the same level as Tang San himself.

Everyone was shocked by the results the trio showed, as Dai Mubai laughed loudly. "Anyone else? I'll bring everyone together to go to the fourth test with these three."

"Can I try?" A gentle female voice was heard, as Dai Mubai turned to face the source, a girl with purple eyes and short pink sleek hair, wearing a long white cape with a fluffy collar of yellow feathers, a yellow dress with golden straps with a skirt of petal-shaped sections, and leather greaves and armbands on her feet and arms.

"Of- Of course." Liu Shun said, as there was a light blush on his cheeks, from how beautiful the new girl was. "You're free to try as you wish."

"Thanks. Please take care of me." The girl smiled back, as the orb in her hands glowed a bright pink with the image of a crystalline tower in it, as the number '26' appeared above it. "Oh right, my name is Ning Rongrong."

"Level 26 Great Spirit Master." The examiner noted.

Before Ning Rongrong could put the orb down could put the orb down, the woman from before appeared, snatching the orb with a swift motion, as it glowed with a clear light with dark blue edges, as the symbol of a panther was seen in it, with the number '27' appearing.

"Level 27 Great Spirit Master!" The examiner said. "This is interesting. Student, can I have your name?"

"Zhu Zhuqing." The woman spoke in a cold and emotionless tone.

"What kind of monsters are they...!?" A person within the crowd of entrants cried.

Liu Shun then looked at both Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, as he recalled who they were.

' _Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing..._ ' Liu Shun thought. ' _The fiances of Oscar and Dai Mubai respectively... One's of the era's youngest generation of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan... And the other is known to be the youngest of the Shrek Seven Devils, but also the second strongest in terms of pure combat capacity, only below that of Dai Mubai._ '

He then noticed a white owl flying in the sky, as it was flying towards a large building.

"Hm..." Liu Shun muttered, as he watched the bird attentively, as he noticed that there was a parchment in its mouth, barely visible from where he was.

"Liu Shun? What are you thinking about?" Tang San asked, as he gently nudged his sworn brother's shoulder slightly.

"Huh? Tang San?" Liu Shun said, as he whipped his head down to face Tang San. "Oh... It was nothing. I was just thinking about something, that was all. Time to go?"

Tang San merely gestured at the group led by Dai Mubai, who were already making their way to the next test for them, as Liu Shun yelped, before dashing towards them to catch up to them.

* * *

 _In a building overseeing the academy..._

The white owl passed through a open window, as it landed on the hand of the very shopkeeper that the trio had met before, who was sitting in a chair that was near the window.

"Haha, there are a lot of monsters this year." The man chuckled to himself. "Five students skipped from the second test straight to the fourth. This should be interesting to see. Heheh, Wuji, why don't you check them out yourself?"

"Principal, you're working me like a border collie..." A gruff male voice was heard from behind the man.

"Five students means five set of school fees. Zhao Wuji, you're the vice principal. If there's money coming in, why are you complaining?"

"Fine, fine. I just had a hard life, that's all." The other man chuckled, as he audibly cracked his knuckles.

"Stop barking. Just go." The principal of the academy said, waving his hand.

"Quit nagging, old man!" Zhao Wuji shouted, as he stomped out of the room, shutting the door loudly behind him.

The principal got out of his seat, as he moved to the window.

"Heh, this school is getting quite lively." The principal muttered to himself. "Old friend, you said you found a small monster, and a god who has descended to the mortal realm, sacrificing everything he had for what he believed were his friends."

He then looked down, as he focused his eyes on Liu Shun and Tang San, who were walking beside each other. "What will they be like...?"

* * *

A/N: For those who are intrigued to find out how Liu Shun obtained the purple Spirit Ring, there will eventually be a flashback which will detail of the journey he took to obtain it. But why explain its coming, before showing it's power?

A/N 2: For those who have been waiting for this chapter, I would like to say that this story and the Unmei Force volumes are the two main stories that I will be working on. I might get back to this if inspiration strikes me, but don't expect quick updates unless I really want to get these chapters done.


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